Update 935

On August 1, 2020, Michael Link will present the sermonette, titled, “Overcoming Fear,” and Norbert Link will present the sermon, titled, “The Rise and Fall of the Beast.”

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.

Jesus told us that if we abide in His Word, we shall know the Truth which will make us free from all error (John 8:31-32). We should also know that “no lie is of the truth” (1 John 2:21); that God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18); but that there is no Truth in Satan who is called the father of lies (John 8:44). Satan is the “god of this world” who has deceived “the whole world” (2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9). The “whole world” lies under his sway (1 John 5:19). The time will come soon when “all the world” will follow the demonically possessed “beast” and worship him to whom Satan will give his authority and power (Revelation 13:3-4, 8).

God warns us that in these end times, Church members will fall away from the Truth. They will not believe, accept and continue to embrace the Truth, but they will have pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:12). Lawlessness will abound, and God’s love in them will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). As a consequence, God will send them “strong delusion that they should believe the lie” (2 Thessalonians 2:11). The Truth will perish (Jeremiah 7:28). It will fail and those who stand up for it will experience persecution (Isaiah 59:15) and will be abhorred (Amos 5:10).

It is God’s desire that all should come to the knowledge of the Truth (1 Timothy 2:4); and we are called upon to rightly divide the word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). But God knows, of course, and so should we, that in this day and age, the world has been taken captive by Satan to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26). Still, when we proclaim the Truth, some may listen, and God might grant them repentance so that they may know the Truth (verse 25).

This world with all of its systems and concepts is built on Satan’s foundation of lies, deceit, error, misinformation, propaganda, falsely so-called “knowledge” (1 Timothy 6:20) and “philosophy” (Colossians 2:8). This world is still eating daily from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And so, Christ warned His disciples not to become deceived (Matthew 24:4), because “evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13).

When reading those Scriptures, we might just apply them to religious concepts, but the admonitions and warnings refer to ALL the Truth, not just certain aspects of it. They refer to the lack of Truth in religion as well as in law, politics, government, the military, education, philosophy, medicine, the health-care system, the economy, and whatever other aspect of society could be named.

Let us take “science” as an example. In this present time of the coronavirus pandemic, we hear much about science and the scientific approach, and that “science is truth” and must be followed. But is it? First of all, not all doctors and scientists are in agreement with whatever measure to fight the disease is recommended… be it the need for a lockdown and for house arrests; quarantine and self-isolation, opening of schools, closing of businesses and churches, wearing of masks, social distancing, how the virus is transmitted, who is most vulnerable, and so on. Who is telling the Truth, and who is engaging in propaganda? Are we to rely on the majority of scientists, or a minority, or anyone? Given the fact that none of the “experts” are converted Christians, but that they are all under the sway of Satan (1 Corinthians 2:6, 8), are we becoming victims of propaganda, without perhaps realizing it?

Is “science” Truth? Science teaches the ungodly evolution theory which tells us that the universe created itself (a concept which was propagated by “the greatest scientific mind of our time”); and that man evolved from a chemical soup which brought forth a cell from which all animals (and finally man) developed. Paul describes the evolution-believing philosophers and scientists of his age as those who “exchanged the truth of God for the lie” (Romans 1:25). But the whole world believes this lie, and woe unto him who opposes it. No wonder that the Bible says that the wisdom of man is foolishness with God (1 Corinthians 3:19).

The key for not falling for Satan’s lies and for not becoming a victim of Satan’s propaganda and of his scientific, political, educational, economic, legal and religious propaganda ministers, is to stay close to God and to resist all unrighteousness and lawlessness. Those who propagate and practice evil do not come to the light of the Truth (John 3:20-21). We must reject the lie and speak the Truth (Ephesians 4:25); being fellow workers for the Truth (3 John 8); and walk in the Truth (Psalm 26:3); while not being afraid when we are persecuted for telling and standing up for the Truth. When we do this, we will be able, with God’s help and guidance, to discern the propaganda of the lie and reject it without becoming its victim.

by Norbert Link

We report on another political anti-church decision by the US Supreme Court, with, once again, Chief Justice John Roberts (appointed by George W. Bush) siding with the four liberal judges and casting the decisive vote against the dissenting four conservative judges. We also address biblical objections by California churches to the mandates and restrictions limiting or prohibiting church services, which were announced by liberal Governor Newsom. We add a remarkable article of religious persecution in Israel regarding the prohibition of worship services and other religious activities.

Focusing on Great Britain and the UK, we describe the mess and the fury created by the government in suddenly and with extremely short notice re-imposing quarantine on travel to and from Spain; address further political travel ban decisions by continental Europe; speak on incredible religious persecution of a Christian charity in Northern Ireland due to the influence of the LGBT movement; and publish reports alleging that the UK government wants Trump to lose in November.

We continue with the bad relationship between the USA and China, as well as Germany; focus on Trump’s highly controversial and criticized decision to withdraw 12,000 US troops from Germany; and address the possibility that the EU will recover economically much sooner than the US. Please view in this regard our new StandingWatch program, titled, US-German Friendship Has Ended! Are You WAKING UP???”

We point out the ongoing controversy about Dr. Fauci and his opinions and admissions; speak on potentially destructive coronavirus recommendations by “150 prominent US medical experts”; and focus on masks mandates and violent protests in the USA.

We conclude with an eye-opening article about the hypocrisy of leaders in the Democratic Party and the terrible loss of animals during Australia’s fire season in 2019.

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

Another Unconstitutional Supreme Court Decision

The Week wrote on July 25:

“The Supreme Court on Friday denied a petition from Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in Dayton, Nevada, claiming a state policy limiting in-person church attendance to 50 during the coronavirus violated the Constitution. Chief Justice John Roberts was the swing vote in the 5-4 decision, joining the court’s liberal justices. As is typical in such cases, the majority did not provide a reason for the rejection.

“The bench’s conservative wing, meanwhile, dissented, emphasizing the church’s argument that houses of worship were treated differently from other places where large gatherings take place, including casinos, gyms, and restaurants. ‘The world we inhabit today, with a pandemic upon us, poses unusual challenges,’ Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote. ‘But there is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Caesars Palace over Calvary Chapel.’”

Fox News reported on July 24:

“Nevada has placed a 50-person cap on all places of worship, no matter the capacity of the building, as a part of the state’s coronavirus restrictions. But casinos, along with other businesses such as restaurants and movie theaters, may permit up to 50 percent capacity, allowing casinos to grant access to hundreds of patrons at a time.

“Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh all issued dissenting opinions rejecting the constitutionality of the decision… ‘In my view, Nevada’s discrimination against religious services violates the Constitution,’ Kavanaugh wrote Friday…”

CLEARLY it does.

Conservatives Outraged over Roberts’ Vote

Bloomberg wrote on July 25:

“‘John Roberts has abandoned his oath,’ Senator Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas, said in a tweet… Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, also piled on, wondering ‘what happened to that judge?’ and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, a former Republican Congressman, called it ‘a sad day.’…

The recent pattern of Chief Justice Roberts’ siding with the liberal Supreme Court judges in rendering anti-conservative political decisions has become very manifest. America is destroying itself from the inside in just about every conceivable area.

Churches Defy Cal. Governor Newsom

Breitbart wrote on July 25:

“Two churches in California are defying Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders to keep their doors closed because of the coronavirus, including Grace Community Church in a Los Angeles suburb, where Pastor John MacArthur posted a letter on Friday titled, ‘Christ, Not Caesar, Is Head of the Church.’… The letter reads, in part:

“‘Christ is Lord of all. He is the one true head of the church… He is also King of kings—sovereign over every earthly authority… Grace Community Church has always stood immovably on those biblical principles. As His people, we are subject to His will and commands as revealed in Scripture. Therefore we cannot and will not acquiesce to a government-imposed moratorium on our weekly congregational worship or other regular corporate gatherings. Compliance would be disobedience to our Lord’s clear commands.

“‘Some will think such a firm statement is inexorably in conflict with the command to be subject to governing authorities laid out in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. Scripture does mandate careful, conscientious obedience to all governing authority, including kings, governors, employers, and their agents (in Peter’s words, ‘not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable’)… Insofar as government authorities do not attempt to assert ecclesiastical authority or issue orders that forbid our obedience to God’s law, their authority is to be obeyed whether we agree with their rulings or not. In other words, Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 still bind the consciences of individual Christians…

“‘When any government official issues orders regulating worship (such as bans on singing, caps on attendance, or prohibitions against gatherings and services), he steps outside the legitimate bounds of his God-ordained authority as a civic official and arrogates to himself authority that God expressly grants only to the Lord Jesus Christ…

“‘Therefore, in response to the recent state order requiring churches in California to limit or suspend all meetings indefinitely, we, the pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, respectfully inform our civic leaders that they have exceeded their legitimate jurisdiction, and faithfulness to Christ prohibits us from observing the restrictions they want to impose on our corporate worship services.’

“The letter said the church does not need the state’s permission to hold church services and urged other congregations to follow suit. ‘Our prayer is that every faithful congregation will stand with us in obedience to our Lord as Christians have done through the centuries,’ the letter concluded.

“[MacArthur’s] letter comes weeks after Calvary Church Chino Hills, also a Southern California congregation, opened its door for service on May 31, Pentecost Sunday — the holy day that celebrates the anointing of the church by the Holy Spirit 50 days after Christ’s resurrection. ‘The church transcends the governments of this world and the politics of this world because the church is a living, breathing, divine institution,’ Pastor Jack Hibbs said in a video addressing other pastors about the lockdown and announcing the decision to reopen the church….”

Please read our free booklet, “Obeying God rather than Men”

Religious Persecution in Israel

Breaking Israel News wrote on July 27:

“The Shaarei Shalom (gates of peace) rabbinical court in Bet Shemesh, headed by Rabbi Nussbaum and Rabbi Wosner, issued a rabbinic proclamation last Thursday.

“‘To our fellow Jews around the world, we are currently in days of confusion and crisis, in which wicked governments impose their heavy yoke upon the God-fearing with all sorts of strange decrees: closures of houses of study and worship, the shutdown of schools and yeshivot (Torah learning institutions), decrees banning ritual baths that prevent the purity of the Jewish people. At their right-hand stands the so-called “religious” parties to support them in these nefarious deeds of destruction.’

“‘To all these unscrupulous individuals we say: Fear the Day of Judgement! Know that there is judgment and a Judge, and for all these things God will bring you to justice. How could you not have trembled when you agreed to the closure of Talmud Torah, schools where children learn Torah?… Innumerable testimonies have been presented before the Rabbinic Court attesting that the entire decree concerning masks is for vanity and uselessness, and is not necessary from a medical point of view.’

“When the prohibitions against the observance of the mitzvoth is with the intention of causing the Jews to abandon their faith, Jews are required to reject the anti-Torah decrees for even the smallest and most insignificant detail… even at the risk of endangering their lives. (Sanhedrin 74b).

“This classification was used in the second century under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Hellenistic king of the Seleucid Empire. It was also declared under the Roman occupation of Israel, and during the Crusades of 1096.

“‘And there is no greater time of danger than what we are facing at the present,’ the rabbis wrote.”

We could not disagree with that assessment.  

Britain Reimposes Quarantine on Travel to Spain

Daily Mail reported on July 26:

“Dominic Raab refused to apologise for reimposing quarantine on travel to Spain today despite the fury of British holidaymakers who have already headed to the Costas. The Foreign Secretary defended the decision by the Department for Transport to remove the country from a list of safe destinations in the wake of a spike in coronavirus cases.

“The decision has left the estimated 600,000 British holidaymakers already in Spain or those preparing to fly out ‘panicking’ about a fortnight-long home quarantine when they return to the UK – which could leave some unable to work….

“Meanwhile Spain’s Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya has today hit back and declared Spain ‘safe for tourists’ and refused to comment on whether the country will retaliate with similar measures on incoming British holidaymakers…

“Labour blasted the decision, which came into effect at midnight, as ‘shambolic’ after it emerged that even Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and business minister Paul Scully had been caught out by the speed of the move while on Spanish holidays.”

Deutsche Welle added on July 26:

“TUI, Europe’s biggest holiday company, said on Sunday it was canceling all holidays from the UK to mainland Spain up to and including August 9 following updated travel advice by Britain imposing a 2-week quarantine on those returning from the Iberian country… Despite TUI’s decision to cancel its flights, EasyJet and British Airways said their scheduled services would run as normal.”

A rather odd and panic-driven hasty decision with little or no regard for the British people being “stranded” in Spain. This ill-advised measure has created quite a mess in Britain.

Germany’s and EU’s Political Coronavirus Decisions

BBC News reported on July 28:

“On Tuesday Germany issued a travel warning for three regions in Spain – Aragón, Catalonia and Navarra… Germany announced on Monday a programme of free, mandatory coronavirus testing for travellers returning from a list of high-risk countries. The list currently includes Brazil, Turkey and the US, and officials said it will be updated daily.”

Bloomberg wrote on July 29:

“The European Union showed no sign of reopening its doors to Americans by backtracking further on a plan to let in more foreign travelers… EU envoys in Brussels on Wednesday recommended removing Algeria from a list of 13 states… The U.S. will remain off the list of allowed countries, while China stays in… The verdict — a non-binding recommendation to EU national governments — means their external borders should stay shut to people from most countries for at least two more weeks…

“The bloc’s updated ‘white’ list will now include Australia, Canada, China, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay… The external-border recommendation covers 30 European countries: all EU member states except Ireland plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland because they are part of the bloc’s passport-free travel area.”

These decisions by the EU and Germany make NO SENSE whatsoever and are CLEARLY political, as can be seen by the choice of permitted and prohibited countries. Many have nothing to do with the coronavirus.  Obviously, Satan is behind them to make sure that the antagonism between Europe (and Germany in particular) and the USA will continue to get worse and worse.

The Associated Press added on July 28:

“Global air travel is recovering more slowly than expected and it will take until 2024 to return to pre-pandemic levels…”

And so, we are destroying more and more businesses with our ill-conceived restrictive travel ban measures.

Bank in Northern Ireland Refuses to Bank with Christian Charity over LGBT Issues

Breitbart wrote on July 25:

“Barclays bank has reportedly informed a Christian charity in Northern Ireland that it will have its banking facilities revoked following an online pressure campaign mounted by LGBT activists, who claimed that the organisation engaged in so-called gay ‘conversion therapy’. The Christian charity, Core Issues Trust (CIT), said that Barclays informed them that their bank account will be terminated by September… The charity also said that they were removed from Facebook, as well as from Paypal, who ‘terminated its CIT accounts without warning and with no explanation, restricting the ability of supporters to make donations’.

“The CEO of CIT, Mike Davidson told regional newspaper The Belfast News Letter: ‘If a social media mob can cause a bank to close the account of a Christian ministry, then there is nowhere for Biblically faithful Christian ministries to go. The UK is now becoming an intensely intolerant country,’ Davidson warned. Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said: ‘If it is Core Issues Trust first, it will be churches next… This kind of demonisation and refusing of services to a Christian ministry is reminiscent of how Jewish businesses were treated under Nazi rule.’..

“Core Issues Trust… says that they attempt to help people who ‘wish to move away from… gender dysphoria’ (gender dysphoria being an NHS-recognised condition where somebody feels discomfort because they believe they belong to a different gender – like a man who says he feels like a woman). The Christian charity says that it engages in ‘one-to-one support for individuals voluntarily seeking to leave homosexual behaviours and feelings’ which some characterise as a form of ‘conversion therapy’.

“The CEO of the charity, Mike Davidson, rejected that terminology, telling the lobby group Christian Concern: ‘This is a pejorative, imposed term, coined by an American gay activist, Dr Douglas Haldeman in 1991, that names some extremes such as electro-shock and aversion techniques only ever conducted by medics, long since abandoned from the 60s, or extreme behaviours already outlawed such as “corrective” rape for which there are no prosecutions in the UK.’…

“Organisations who offer therapy for people who wish to abandon sexual urges have become increasingly a target of activist groups. The pressure has resulted in Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing that his Conservative government will be looking to ban conversion therapy… A leading Liberal Democrat leadership candidate and self-described pansexual, Layla Moran, said that Mr Johnson’s ‘conversion therapy’ statements were welcome…

“Gendered Intelligence, a trans charity, criticised the Prime Minister for the use of the term ‘gay conversion therapy’, saying: ‘Whilst we hope the prime minister used ‘gay conversion therapy’ for brevity, we must ensure the ban on conversion therapy covers all LGBT people, including trans people.’”

Sodom and Gomorrah all over again, and Boris Johnson falls right into the ditch.

UK Government Wants Trump to Lose?

Business Insider wrote on July 26:

“The UK government is privately ‘desperate’ for US President Donald Trump to lose November’s presidential election and be replaced by Joe Biden, according to a report by the Sunday Times.

“Prime Minister Boris Johnson is publicly one of Trump’s closest international allies. His government, however, has been privately trying to distance itself from the US president in anticipation of a Biden victory, The Times reports. ‘It would make things much easier if Trump doesn’t win reelection,’ one minister in Johnson’s government told the Times reporter Tim Shipman, who added that many agreed with the sentiment.

“Some UK officials are also hopeful of a Biden victory. One senior UK diplomat [said] earlier this month… ‘The venal corruption of the Trump family and the nasty narcissistic aspects of his behavior — all that will go with a different sort of president’…

“Relations between Johnson and Trump’s administrations have been strained in recent months… amid Trump’s ultimately successful efforts to force Johnson’s government to cut its ties with the Chinese telecoms company Huawei. The president is said to have slammed the phone down on Johnson in a moment of ‘apoplectic’ fury in January, when Johnson initially refused to scrap the UK’s deal with Huawei to help develop Britain’s 5G network.

“The UK relented following the imposition of US sanctions on the company. The row, however, has helped to reduce the UK government’s appetite to strike a new trade deal with Trump… Fears among UK voters about the impact of a US trade deal on food standards in Britain have reportedly forced Johnson’s government to put the brakes on what had once been promoted as a rapid agreement.”

Since we are convinced that Trump will stay in power, will the relationship between the USA and the UK further deteriorate, or will it revive, at least temporarily? Our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America,” gives further insight.

The BAD Chinese-USA Relationship

The Guardian wrote on July 24:

“The confrontation between the US and China is gathering pace with each passing week. In the past few days, the Chinese consulate in Houston has been shuttered amid allegations it was a spy hub, and the US mission in the south-western city of Chengdu was closed in retaliation, on similar grounds…

“At the same time as rounding up more than a million Muslim Uighurs in internment camps, the regime has quashed the liberties enjoyed by Hong Kong, taken over disputed atolls, reefs and shoals in the South China Sea…

“One of Trump’s first foreign policy moves was to pull the US out of negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership which was designed as an economic coalition to prevent China being able to dictate the terms of trade in the 21st century… Similarly, the US effort to persuade China to join arms control negotiations would carry more weight on the world stage if the Trump administration had not walked out on three arms control agreements to date and is apparently in the process of jettisoning a fourth…

“The abrupt US departure from the World Health Organization in the midst of a pandemic, accompanied by a campaign of unsubstantiated allegations against its officials led by Pompeo, is also often cited by diplomats posted to Washington as an example of the US abdicating its global leadership role.

“The failure of governance evident in the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic… has also made it hard for US diplomats to cajole foreign governments into a common cause against China, without drawing pained smiles… It is a stroke of luck for US diplomacy that, at a time when it is at its weakest when trying to recruit allies, China is doing much of the job on its behalf.”

The once-praised great relationship between Trump and Xi Jinping is long history. So is Trump’s relationship with North Korea’s Kim Yong-un. It is prophesied that ultimately, America will have no more allies or friends.

Trump Floats Idea of Election Delay

 The Times of Israel and the Associated Press wrote on July 29:

“US President Donald Trump is for the first time floating a ‘delay’ to the November 3 presidential election, as he makes unsubstantiated allegations that increased mail-in voting will result in fraud. The dates of presidential elections — the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in every fourth year — are enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change. The Constitution makes no provisions for a delay to the January 20, 2021 presidential inauguration.

 “Trump tweeted Thursday: ‘With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???’

 “His tweet came on a day of bad economic news — the government reported that US economy shrank at a dizzying 32.9 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, by far the worst quarterly plunge ever, as the coronavirus outbreak shut down businesses, threw tens of millions out of work and sent unemployment surging to 14.7%….

 “Trailing in public and private polls, Trump refused in an interview just weeks ago with Fox News to commit to accept the results of the upcoming White House election, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 vote. ‘I have to see. Look … I have to see,’ Trump told moderator Chris Wallace during a wide-ranging interview on ‘Fox News Sunday.’ ‘No, I’m not going to just say “yes.” I’m not going to say “no,” and I didn’t last time, either.’”

 Some Democratic leaders suggested that Trump may not voluntarily step down and leave the White House if he loses the election. Either way, a civil war seems to become more and more likely. 

Germany Rejects Trump Proposal

Reuters reported on July 26:

“Germany has rejected a proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin back into the Group of Seven (G7) most advanced economies, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a newspaper interview published on Monday. Trump raised the prospect last month of expanding the G7 to again include Russia, which had been expelled in 2014 following Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.

“But Maas told Rheinische Post that he did not see any chance for allowing Russia back into the G7 as long as there was no meaningful progress in solving the conflict in Crimea as well as in eastern Ukraine… Maas described the relationship with Russia as ‘currently difficult’ in many areas…”

This might further the deteriorating relationship between Trump and Germany.

USA to Withdraw 12,000 Service Members out of Germany

Politico wrote on July 29:

“The Pentagon on Wednesday laid out a plan to shift nearly 12,000 service members out of Germany after President Donald Trump repeatedly said the country was ‘delinquent’ on defense spending… The move will leave 24,000 troops in Germany, where the United States has stationed a significant number of forces since the end of the Cold War…

“Defense Secretary Mark Esper was repeatedly asked how that rationale squared with Trump’s pronouncements that the troops were being moved to punish Germany. Esper noted that the review of European Command was accelerated by the president’s June decision to withdraw forces from Germany, which blindsided allies both at home and abroad and was seen as a rebuke of German leaders and beneficial to Russia… ‘They’re there to protect Europe. They’re there to protect Germany, right? And Germany is supposed to pay for it. Germany’s not paying for it. We don’t want to be the suckers anymore,’ Trump told reporters Wednesday morning. ‘So we’re reducing the force because they’re not paying their bills. It’s very simple, they’re delinquent.’…

“The move… will begin in the coming weeks… German officials… immediately trashed the plan. Norbert Röttgen, chair of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, noted in a statement to POLITICO that the move would weaken the NATO alliance and reduce the effectiveness of the U.S. military against Russia and in the Middle East. ‘… The US troop reduction is not in the security interests of Germany or NATO — and makes no geopolitical sense for the US,’ said Peter Beyer, the German government’s coordinator for transatlantic relations, on Twitter…

“In a statement on Wednesday, Sen. Mitt Romney  (R-Utah) condemned the plan as a ‘grave error’… The plan ‘is a slap in the face at a friend and ally when we should instead be drawing closer in our mutual commitment to deter Russian and Chinese aggression. And it is a gift to Russia coming at a time when we just have learned of its support for the Taliban and reports of bounties on killing American troops,’ Romney said…”

Deutsche Welle added on July 29:

“Retired US General Ben Hodges told DW that the US troop redeployment decision was wrong at its core. ‘The most important ally that the United States has in Europe is Germany,’ Hodges said… Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder criticized the US withdrawal plan, adding that it served no clear military purpose and would even weaken the NATO alliance and the US itself. ‘Unfortunately, this puts a burden on the German-American relationship,’ Söder said… Last week, Söder had joined the state premiers of Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Rheinland-Palatinate in a letter to members of the US Senate and Congress pleading for a stop to the plan, saying the troops formed ‘the backbone of US presence in Europe and NATO’s ability to act.’ ‘We therefore ask you to support us as we strive not to sever the bond of friendship but to strengthen it, and to secure the US presence in Germany and Europe in the future,’ the German politicians said.

“Green party opposition politician Jürgen Trittin, who sits on the foreign affairs committee in parliament, told DW he believed the real motivation was not military or defense policy: ‘It’s more a part of the economic warfare Donald Trump is fighting against the European Union and especially the Germans,’ Trittin alleged, calling for Germany to cancel plans to purchase new F-18 fighter jets from the US in response.”

This plan is indeed very bad for America, as Germany’s anger will undoubtedly rise, setting the stage for a prophesied MILITARY confrontation between Europe, under German leadership, and the USA, during which the USA will be destroyed.

Needed—a European Army

“Guy Verhofstadt has once again sparked fury on social media after calls for a European army… [He] took to Twitter after US President Donald Trump confirmed his decision to pull almost 12,000 US troops out of Germany… The MEP, a frequent critic of the US President, posted: ‘Germany and EU continue to be bullied by @realDonaldTrump. “The problem is not money. EU countries combined are second biggest military spender (with China). Real problem is 27 armies and 27 budgets. Time for a real European defense market, strategy and army.’”

Europe to Recover Sooner than USA

Newsmax republished the following article by Bloomberg on July 26:

“The euro area economy is for once set for a sprightlier recovery from crisis than the U.S., thanks to starkly different responses to the coronavirus… Crucial for a sustainable recovery is confidence that the virus is no longer out of control, and Europe’s relative success may help encourage shoppers to spend and businesses to invest, further propelling demand and growth…

“Since 1992, the U.S. has outperformed the euro area in all but eight years, according to IMF data. Although the euro area managed to grow when the financial crisis hit in 2008 and the U.S. shrank, in 2009 the U.S. contraction of 2.5% was far shallower than the euro area’s 4.5%…

“The divergence is reflected in markets. European stocks and bonds have benefited from renewed investor popularity, thanks to the bloc’s agreement on a historic 750 billion-euro ($860 billion) accord. The euro has risen more than 6% against the dollar in the past two months, and could have further to run…

“In the U.S., the $2 trillion rescue package that Congress passed in March ranks among the most aggressive in history, but the distribution has been patchy and uneven. Unemployment offices were overwhelmed with claims, and many jobless Americans have still yet to receive the unemployment benefits they’re owed. At the same time, the allocation of loans to small and medium-sized businesses had its own challenges, resulting in a chaotic scramble among business owners to get government assistance. Even so, the Paycheck Protection Program helped save as many as 3.2 million jobs…”

This is interesting in that, according to prophecy, Europe will have to experience a powerful, however short-lived economic revival. That is not to be expected from the USA.

Mikrovits’ Views Must Not Be Aired!

CNN wrote on July 25:

“The Sinclair Broadcast Group… said Saturday it will postpone and rework a segment it planned to air this weekend that suggested Dr. Anthony Fauci… was responsible for the creation of the coronavirus… The episode… that featured the conspiracy theory was also pulled from local Sinclair websites, where it is often posted before airing on the stations over the weekend. People now trying to access the videos on local Sinclair websites are met with an error page… In the episode of the show that was set to air, [former Fox News host Eric] Bolling spoke with Judy Mikovits, the medical researcher featured in the… ‘Plandemic’ video that went viral earlier this year and which was banned from platforms such as Facebook and YouTube…

“Mikovits told Bolling that Fauci had over the past decade ‘manufactured’ and shipped coronaviruses to Wuhan, China, which became the original epicenter of the current outbreak…

“On Saturday morning, the company had defended airing the segment in a series of tweets, saying it did not endorse the conspiracy theory but was committed to providing its audience diverse viewpoints. Bolling had also previously stood by the segment, telling CNN Business that he also did not endorse the conspiracy theory, but that he was comfortable airing it because in a segment after the interview with Mikovits he spoke to a doctor who dismissed the idea Fauci was responsible for the virus…

“After this story was originally published, Larry Klayman, an attorney for Mikovits, wrote in an email on Saturday night that he stood by what his client said on Bolling’s show. Klayman also threatened to sue CNN…”

We are not endorsing the claim that Fauci created the virus, even though there is evidence that it might have been developed in Chinese laboratories. To suppress the show, however, raises unnecessary suspicion, which is coupled with the fact that articles surfaced, as published by Business Insider, the Huffington Post, and others, that in January of 2017, Fauci is quoted as saying that “‘No Doubt’ Trump will face [a] surprise infectious disease outbreak.” Fauci also said at that time that “preventing disease pandemics often starts overseas and that a proper response means collaboration between not only the U.S. and other countries, but also the public and private health sectors” (healio.com, dated January 11, 2017).

More Coronavirus Recommendations

The Hill wrote on July 23:

“Two Florida mayors who govern Miami and Miami-Dade County encouraged their residents on Thursday to wear masks inside to lower the transmission rate of COVID-19 between family members… and also respecting social distance when they’re at home…’ you need to start thinking about maintaining a distance also from your loved ones for a while,’ [it was suggested].”

This is getting so insane. Note the next article.

Shutting Down the Country AGAIN?

CNN wrote on July 24:

“More than 150 prominent US medical experts, scientists, teachers, nurses and others have signed a letter urging political leaders to shut down the country and start over to contain the surging coronavirus pandemic…

“The only way to reopen the economy and the country safely is to follow a set of protocols that public health experts deem necessary for controlling the spread of Covid-19, the letter contends. They include: enough daily testing to test everyone with flu-like symptoms, a work force of contact tracers large enough to track all current cases and more personal protective equipment to keep essential workers safe.

“In addition, they say all non-essential businesses should be closed and restaurants nationwide should only provide takeout service. People should only leave their homes to get food and medicine or fresh air and exercise, and masks should be mandatory in all situations, the letter urged. Leaders should also ban interstate travel to help contain the virus. ‘If you don’t take these actions, the consequences will be measured in widespread suffering and death,’ the letter warned.”

A sure recipe for the total destruction of the US economy and the lives of millions of people.

Exaggerated Death Figures

KNSS published on July 20 the following comments by Rush Limbaugh:

“On Saturday, the U.K. announced that they were gonna pause their daily update of the death toll from coronavirus over concerns that their death toll might be exaggerated. We need to do the same thing here. The problem is that Britain… has been counting people who tested positive for coronavirus as dying from it no matter how much later they died. This is the old argument, did someone die with COVID-19 or because of it? And the U.K. is doing exactly what the U.S. is doing. If you are in a car crash and you die and they test and find out that you had COVID-19, guess what? Your cause of death is gonna be COVID-19, not the fact that you ran into a tree.”

Limbaugh also pointed out that while the numbers of coronavirus infections are rising, the death toll is flat.

Fauci’s Latest Revelations

Breitbart wrote on July 25:

“Dr. Anthony Fauci, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, suggested in an interview with MarketWatch on Friday that young people are ‘becoming part of the problem’ in the outbreak of the Chinese coronavirus and admitted that experts ‘don’t know exactly’ to what extent people are less likely to transmit the coronavirus when they are wearing a mask… when asked for an estimate of ‘how less likely people are to transmit coronavirus if they’re wearing a mask,’ he could not provide a definitive answer… ‘Your guess is as good as any: 50 percent to 75 percent or 80 percent is probably correct,’ he added…

“The New England Journal of Medicine, in a May study titled ‘Universal Masking in Hospitals in the Covid-19 Era,’ stated, ‘We know that wearing a mask outside health care facilities offers little, if any, protection from infection.’…

“Fauci came under fire on Thursday after throwing the first pitch for the Washington Nationals’ season opener and watching the game, in-person, with his mask hanging around his chin… [He later said that to point this out in the media was “mischievous” as he was simply taking a sip of water. However, on the pictures circulated, he did not drink from a water bottle, but talked and laughed with the persons sitting right next to him, purportedly his wife and a close friend].

“While Fauci currently recommends masks, he did not feel the same way in March, telling CBS News’s Dr. Jon LaPook that ‘there’s no reason to be walking around with a mask.’”

The Ron Paul Institute wrote on July 30:

“Dr. Fauci is back in the limelight where he likes to be. In a recent ABC interview he informs Americans that if they ‘really want 100 percent protection’ they should not only wear masks, but also goggles on their eyes [or a face shield]. Will he be recommending space suits next week?”

“You Can’t Surrender our Humanity to the Virus!”

The Daily Mail wrote on July 28:

“Ex-Supreme Court judge Lord Jonathan Sumption today called on Britain to learn to live alongside Covid-19… Lord Jonathan, who is also a medieval historian, praised Sweden’s approach to the pandemic, after the nation bucked the global trend and opted against a lockdown…

“He wrote: ‘Their hospitals were never overwhelmed. They never closed their schools. The predicted damage to their economy is about half of ours.’ Writing that ‘we cannot keep running away’, he added: ‘Our ancestors lived with far worse epidemic diseases without rushing to put their heads in a bag.’…

“He wrote: ‘Our whole transport infrastructure, the buildings in which we work, play and eat out, depend on our being close together. We have surrendered our liberty to the virus. Are we to surrender our humanity as well?’”

However, that is exactly what the world is doing.

Police Resist Enforcing Mask Mandates

The Associated Press wrote on July 26:

“Lang Holland, the chief of police in tiny Marshall, Arkansas, said he thinks the threat of the coronavirus has been overstated and only wears a face mask if he’s inside a business that requires them. He doesn’t make his officers wear them either.

“So the day after Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed an order requiring masks to be worn in public throughout Arkansas, Holland made it clear his department wasn’t going to enforce the mandate in the Ozarks town of about 1,300, calling it an unconstitutional overreach. ‘All I’m saying is if you want to wear a mask, you have the freedom to choose that,’ said Holland, who said he supports President Donald Trump. ‘It should not be dictated by the nanny state.’

“Holland is among a number of police chiefs and sheriffs in Arkansas and elsewhere who say they won’t enforce statewide mask requirements, even within their departments. Some say they don’t have the manpower to respond to every mask complaint… Others, including Holland, reject the legal validity of mask requirements…

“More than half the states have issued orders to wear masks in most public settings, with virus cases and hospitalizations on the rise. Polling shows overwhelming public support for such requirements, and even Trump, who had long been dismissive of wearing masks, last week said it was patriotic to wear one…

“Several sheriffs in neighboring Texas have also said they wouldn’t enforce a mask requirement issued by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. And a group of 38 sheriffs in Montana signed an op-ed this month saying they believe that the mask requirement issued by the state’s Democratic governor this month ‘is not a mandate for law enforcement to issue citations and arrest violators.’

“Enforcement of Alabama’s mask rule, which took effect this month, has also varied. Some police said they would provide masks to those not wearing them in public, and others said they didn’t plan to ticket people for violations…

“In New York City… the nation’s largest police department has struggled with how to enforce mask mandates. Police initially assigned 1,000 officers this spring to enforce mask wearing and social distancing rules, but they backed off after some violent arrests were caught on video. Now, the city relies chiefly on civilian workers and community group members to hand out masks and encourage people to wear them.

“Hutchinson said he would defer to local police and sheriffs on how to enforce his order, saying it was their prerogative on how to prioritize offenses. Supporters of mask mandates say penalties were never their goal and that they never envisioned police having to respond to every complaint about someone not wearing one. ‘Nobody’s asking for a masking gestapo,’ [Dr. Cam] Patterson, [the chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences] said…”

Newsweek added on July 24:

“Sheriffs in four Indiana counties have said their departments will not enforce a statewide mask mandate announced this week by the governor.”

Resorting to Violence?

Business Insider wrote on July 20:

“Some retailers are refusing to require masks in stores, amid a rash of disturbing incidents involving people who oppose wearing face coverings.  The CEO of Foot Locker told the Financial Times that he is ‘not willing to put [his employees] at risk’ of having to enforce a mask policy and cited accounts of anti-mask shoppers confronting employees at other retailers. Foot Locker posts signs at its entrances advising customers to wear masks, but ‘for the safety of our associates, our Stripers’ will not enforce or deny entrance to customers who choose not to wear one,’ Dick Johnson, the Foot Locker CEO, later said in an email…

“The grocery chain Winn-Dixie has also said it will not enforce a mandatory mask policy. A spokesperson for Winn-Dixie’s parent company, Southeastern Grocers, told USA Today that it won’t require masks to avoid ‘undue friction’ between customers and employees.”

To be clear, to resort to violence, regardless as to what the cause, is always wrong.

More Violence in the USA

 The Associated Press wrote on July 26:

“Protests took a violent turn in several U.S. cities over the weekend, with demonstrators squaring off against federal agents outside a courthouse in Portland, Oregon, forcing police in Seattle to retreat into a station house and setting fire to vehicles in California and Virginia.

“A protest against police violence in Austin, Texas, turned deadly when a witness says the driver of a car that drove through a crowd of marchers opened fire on an armed demonstrator who approached the vehicle. And someone was shot and wounded in Aurora, Colorado, after a car drove through a protest there, authorities said…”

Trump has threatened to send in more federal agents, including New York. Is civil war inevitable?

Attorney General William Barr Under Attack

Breitbart wrote on July 28:

“Attorney General William Barr called out Democrats on Tuesday during a House Judiciary Committee hearing for failing to condemn mob violence and attacks on the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon in recent weeks. ‘What makes me concerned for the country is [that] this is the first time in my memory that the leaders of one of our great two political parties, the Democratic Party, are not coming out and condemning mob violence and the attack on federal courts,’ Barr said. ‘Why can’t we just say: “Violence against federal courts has to stop?” Could we hear something like that?’

“Barr was testifying about the federal law enforcement response to protect the courthouse, which has been vandalized and firebombed by what Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden, have called ‘peaceful protesters.’ Those ‘protesters’ have also attacked the federal officials defending the building.

“Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who claimed on Sunday that the violence was a ‘myth,’ did not respond by condemning the violence…

“House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-OH) debunked the claim that the protests in the name of George Floyd have been ‘peaceful,’ playing a video during a hearing that showed scene after scene of violence and destruction in America’s streets. The six-minute video began with nearly two dozen clips of mainstream media journalists and Democrat politicians claiming the protests have been ‘peaceful.’

“It showed the widely-mocked video of MSNBC’s Ali Velshi standing in front of a burning building in Minneapolis claiming that the protest was ‘not, generally speaking, unruly.’ It ended with former President Barack Obama and 2020 Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden calling them ‘peaceful protests.’

“It then switched to a press conference with the wife of Capt. David Dorn, a retired black police chief who was shot and killed while trying to defend a pawn shop from looters in St. Louis, Missouri. As his wife struggled to hold back her tears, the video showed clips of mobs of violent rioters attacking police, burning flags and buildings, vandalizing police cars, looters, and protesters running over police officers…

“The video showed some scenes from rioting in Portland, of violent mobs trying to tear down fences, setting fires to buildings, and throwing bombs and other explosives. It showed protesters toppling statues and cheering. It showed police officers on bicycles trying to protect a monument and being pelted with garbage, bottles, and other objects…”

The disrespectful conduct of Jerry Nadler and his Democratic colleagues on the committee towards Attorney General Barr was shameful and appalling. Raising accusation after accusation, they gave him virtually no time or opportunity to respond and clarify. It was nothing short of a “kangaroo court.”

Mandate to Display Black Lives Matter Posters

Breitbart reported on July 17:

“The San Francisco Police Commission voted this week to require police stations throughout the city to display Black Lives Matter posters… The left-wing and Marxist Black Lives Matter political organization has been at the forefront of calls for police to be defunded across the country… The resolution, which was unanimously approved, ordered the Police Department to install a poster of at least 32 by 24 inches in each district station within 30 days. The poster must ‘prominently and exclusively’ feature the phrase ‘Black lives matter’ and it must be displayed in a place visible to station visitors…

“Not everyone in the department, however, supported the measure ahead of Wednesday’s vote. The San Francisco Police Officers Association sent the commission a letter saying the union supported the notion that black and brown lives matter, but a directive to install the posters ‘establishes a new precedent that raises concerns about introducing political agendas and wedge issues into the safe harbor of police stations.’

“‘Police stations are places for the citizens of San Francisco to seek help and assistance when they have become victims of crimes,’ Rockne A. Lucia, a lawyer for the police union, wrote in the letter. ‘They are not places for political endorsements or alignment with political organizations.’ Police union President Tony Montoya said in a statement that the commission ‘should put away their soapboxes and stop their political grandstanding.’”

What nonsense!

USA One of the Worst Countries to Raise a Family

The Daily Mail wrote on July 23:

“The US is one of the worst countries in the world to raise a family, while Britain also scores badly, according to new research. America was ranked 34 out of 35 in a comparison of the world’s biggest economies, scoring three ‘F’ grades for safety, cost of living and work-life balance, a ‘D minus’ for health, and a ‘C+’ for happiness and education. Overall, it was given an ‘F’ grade for raising a family, with only Mexico coming out worse…

“Britain, meanwhile, was given a ‘B minus’ rating, ranking it 23rd, with scores including a ‘D minus’ for work-life balance and an ‘F’ for cost of living. It scored average for health (C) and education (C+) but better for happiness (A) and safety (B).”

Not a flattering statistic for the USA and the UK.

The Democratic Party’s Legacy of Racism

Fox News reported on July 24:

“A group of Republican House members, led by Rep. Louis Gohmert of Texas, introduced a resolution Thursday that would effectively ban the Democratic Party from the House or force a party name change over past slavery ties — a response to the recent efforts to remove tributes to past members of the Confederacy from the halls of Congress.

“It specifically cites the Democratic Party platform’s support for slavery between 1840 and 1856, and other racist actions by party members through the early-to-mid 1900s, before calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to ‘remove any items that names, symbolizes or mentions any political organization or party that has ever held a public position that supported slavery or the Confederacy’ from the House and its properties. The resolution also says such a party ‘shall either change its name or be barred from participation in the House of Representatives.’…

“‘As outlined in the resolution, a great portion of the history of the Democratic Party is filled with racism and hatred,’ Gohmert said. ‘Since people are demanding we rid ourselves of the entities, symbols, and reminders of the repugnant aspects of our past, then the time has come for Democrats to acknowledge their party’s loathsome and bigoted past, and consider changing their party name to something that isn’t so blatantly and offensively tied to slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination, and the Ku Klux Klan.’

“He added: ‘To avoid triggering innocent bystanders by the racist past of the Democratic Party, I would suggest they change their name. That is the standard to which they are holding everyone else, so the name change needs to occur.’

“[The resolution] appears to be meant more as a criticism of allegedly ‘blatant hypocrisy’ around the House’s approval of a measure removing Confederate busts in the Capitol this week…”

One cannot help but to be amazed at the hypocrisy of leaders of the Democratic Party.

Escaping from America?

Forbes wrote on July 28:

“… with the coronavirus pandemic restricting travel for US citizens and the power of the US passport on the decline, it’s no surprise that many Americans are investigating how they can buy a second passport, whether it’s to seek shelter in another country or just to be able to travel more freely… It can often take up to five years of living in a place to become a resident, and many countries also require you to renounce your US citizenship….”

As the article points out, there are ways to “buy” a foreign citizenship, by investing an extraordinary amount of money in the foreign country. And so, again, money rules the world…

Billions of Animals Were Killed Last Year in Australia

Fox News wrote on July 28:

“The devastating wildfire season in Australia that stretched from last July through March impacted far more animals than previously estimated, scientists said Tuesday in a new report… Nearly 3 billion animals – including mammals, reptiles, birds, and frogs — were killed or displaced…

“‘The interim findings are shocking,’ WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman said… ‘It’s hard to think of another event anywhere in the world in living memory that has killed or displaced that many animals. This ranks as one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history.’

“In the interim report, 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds, and 51 million frogs are believed to have been impacted…”

God prophesied that in the end time, many animals will be destroyed because of the sins of man.

Acknowledgement and Disclaimer

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

In part 1 of this series, we looked at the fact that the Jews rejected Jesus when He was on earth and Judaism has continued with that rejection up until the present time. One of the reasons why Jews have rejected Jesus is the false notion that He did not even exist. We refuted this claim by looking at the evidence that shows that Jesus did exist with proof from many sources.

As alluded to in the first part, Jews also reject Jesus as the Messiah because they question the accuracy of the New Testament Scriptures, and they state that He simply did not fulfil the mission of the Messiah.

Of course, the New Testament is accurate in describing Jesus, His life and His mission. We firmly believe that there are no contradictions in the Bible but would agree that He did not fulfil the mission of the “mashiach” which is the Judaic belief that we believe is in error and which we will explain in this series. We will also show why Jews reject clear Old Testament passages identifying Jesus as the Messiah.

Regarding the many proofs for the infallibility of the original writings of the New Testament, please consult our free booklet, “The Authority of the Bible,” chapters 3-6.

In addition, on the website https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/is-the-bible-reliable-for-truth-about-jesus-christ-11598166.html we read the following:

“We should believe the Bible because Christ believed the Bible. Such reasoning may sound circuitous or circular. It is not. As the British theologian John Wenham argued, Christianity is rooted first and foremost in faith in a person: ‘Hitherto Christians who have been unaware about the status of the bible have been caught in a vicious circle: any satisfactory doctrine of the Bible must be based on the teaching of the Bible, but the teaching of the Bible is itself suspect. The way out of the dilemma is to recognize that belief in the Bible comes from faith in Christ, and not vice versa.’ In other words, confidence in the Bible rests upon confidence in Christ. Is Christ who He said He was? Is He just a great man or is He the Lord? The Bible may not prove to you Jesus Christ is the Lord, but the lordship of Christ will prove to you that the Bible is the very word of God. This is because Christ regularly spoke about the authority of the Old Testament (see Mark 9). He claimed authority for His own teaching by saying, ‘I tell you’ (see Matthew 5). Jesus even taught that the teaching of His disciples would have divine authority (see John 14:26). If Jesus Christ is trustworthy, then His words about the authority of the Bible should be trusted as well. Christ is trustworthy and He trusted God’s Word. So should we. Without faith in Christ, you will not believe the Bible is the self-disclosure of God. With faith in Christ, you cannot help but believe the Bible is God’s Word.”

We read in Luke 24:44 these words of Jesus: “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’”  By this, Jesus endorsed the Old Testament Scriptures (which the Jews accepted anyway, at least so they said.)

Continuing with the statement from the website www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm :

“On the contrary, another Jew born about a century later came far closer to fulfilling the messianic ideal [as taught and believed in by Judaism] than Jesus did. [We will see later what the (false) Jewish concept of the Messiah really means.] His name was Shimeon ben Kosiba, known as Bar Kokhba (son of a star), and he was a charismatic, brilliant, but brutal warlord. Rabbi Akiba, one of the greatest scholars in Jewish history, believed that Bar Kokhba was the mashiach. Bar Kokhba fought a war against the Roman Empire, catching the Tenth Legion by surprise and retaking Jerusalem. He resumed sacrifices at the site of the Temple and made plans to rebuild the Temple. He established a provisional government and began to issue coins in its name. This is what the Jewish people were looking for in a mashiach; Jesus clearly does not fit into this mold. Ultimately, however, the Roman Empire crushed his revolt and killed Bar Kokhba. After his death, all acknowledged that he was not the mashiach.

“Throughout Jewish history, there have been many people who have claimed to be the mashiach, or whose followers have claimed that they were the mashiach: Shimeon Bar Kokhba, Shabbatai Tzvi, Jesus, and many others too numerous to name. Leo Rosten reports some very entertaining accounts under the entry for meshiekh in The New Joys of Yiddish. But all of these people died without fulfilling the mission of the mashiach; therefore, none of them were the mashiach. The mashiach and the Olam Ha-Ba lie in the future, not in the past.”

In this statement above, we read that “another Jew (Bar Kokhba) born about a century later came far closer to fulfilling the messianic ideal than Jesus did.”  They further write that “Jesus does not fit into this mold” after discussing “Bar Kokhba (son of a star), and state that he was a “charismatic, brilliant, but brutal warlord.”

We should be very happy that Jesus did not fit into such a mold; in fact His approach for Him, as a Man, and for His disciples was exactly the opposite, as we read in Matthew 26:51-53: “And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?’” (see also Mark 14:47; Luke 22:50-51; John 18:10).

Jesus also sternly rebuked His disciples as we read in Luke 9:54-56 when they wanted to command fire down from heaven to destroy the Samaritans after they had refused to give them shelter. In Matthew 5, we read of Jesus’ approach; verse 9 commands us to be peacemakers, not warmongers, and not even to get angry with your brother without a cause; verses 22-25 talk about reconciliation, and verses 38-42 tell us to “turn the other cheek” (an Aramaic idiom), instead of resorting to violence. These were Christ’s instructions then and for now. Jesus certainly did not fit into the category that the Jews were looking for, that of a human warlord.

As will be shown below, Christ WILL fight when He returns to this earth, but then He will come as GOD. However, when He became a Man and was here on earth, in the flesh, born of a woman, born under the law, to fulfil His role as a human Messiah and to overcome sin in the flesh and to suffer and die for us, He categorically refused to and rejected war in any manner, shape or form.

The huge mistake in Judaism is that they misunderstand the Old Testament Scriptures which clearly reveal that the Messiah would have to come TWICE—first as a human being who would suffer and die for mankind and thereby bring about forgiveness of sin; and second, as God who will establish the Kingdom of God on earth “in the last days” and rule all of mankind with a rod of iron.

While confusing these passages and believing that the Messiah would only come once to fulfil all these Old Testament prophecies at the time when He will appear to rule mankind, many Jews and modern Judaism reject the supreme Sacrifice of Christ and the fact that the Messiah would have to come FIRST to DIE for mankind. (In fact, they do not even believe that the Messiah would come to die for man.) As we will see, they totally pervert Scriptures in the Old Testament which establish this, by giving them a distorted meaning.

Returning to www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm , they give the following information:

“The following passages in the Jewish scriptures are the ones that Jews consider to be messianic in nature or relating to the end of days. These are the ones that we rely upon in developing our messianic concept:

“Isaiah 2, 11, 42; 59:20

“Jeremiah 23, 30, 33; 48:47; 49:39

“Ezekiel 38:16

“Hosea 3:4-3:5

“Micah 4

“Zephaniah 3:9

“Zechariah 14:9

“Daniel 10:14.”

They certainly apply to the Messiah and the end times but they see them to be fulfilled by a human warlord as mentioned in the case of Shimeon ben Kosiba who was thought at one time to be the “mashiach,” as well as others, but the reality for them has not yet happened. When these Scriptures are reviewed, it seems clear that they are all about the time at the end and the beginning of the Kingdom of God on earth when Jesus Christ, as the immortal and eternal GOD BEING, will be King of kings and Lord of lords (see Revelation 17:14 and 19:16). For example, Isaiah 2 is about the future house of God when “He (that is Jesus who is God) will teach us His ways – not some human warlord. Zechariah 14:9 speaks about the time when “the LORD shall be King over all the earth,” not some human being. These and many other verses have been explained in a number of our booklets about biblical prophecy.

Before we move on to review further information as to what the Jews are looking for, it is appropriate to explain why we do believe that Jesus Christ, at His first Coming, was indeed the Messiah.

On the website www.bibleprobe.commessianicprophecies.htm, a list of 365 Messianic Prophecies is given from Genesis to Malachi that Jesus fulfilled, when He was here on earth during His first Coming as a HUMAN BEING. Of course, space prohibits listing all of these. (In fact, others, like Edersheim, see below, claim that Jesus, when He was here on earth as a human being, fulfilled as many as 456 Old Testament prophecies.)

On the website: https://empower.global/the-mathematical-probability-that-jesus-is-the-christ/ we read about the “Mathematical Probability” that Jesus is the Christ and that He fulfilled the prophecies about Him as a human being during His first Coming:

“A professor at Westmont College, has calculated the probability of one man fulfilling the major prophecies made concerning the Messiah. The estimates were worked out by twelve different classes representing some 600 university students. The students carefully weighed all the factors, discussed each prophecy at length, and examined the various circumstances which might indicate that men had conspired together to fulfill a particular prophecy. They made their estimates conservative enough so that there was finally unanimous agreement even among the most skeptical students. However the professor then took their estimates, and made them even more conservative. He also encouraged other skeptics or scientists to make their own estimates to see if his conclusions were more than fair.

“Finally, he submitted his figures for review to a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation. Upon examination, they verified that his calculations were dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented. For example, concerning Micah 5:2, where it states the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the professor and his students determined the average population of BETHLEHEM from the time of Micah to the present; then they divided it by the average population of the earth during the same time period. They concluded that the chance of one man being born in Bethlehem was one in 300,000.

“After examining only eight different prophecies, they conservatively estimated that the chance of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies was one in 10^17. To illustrate how large the number 10^17 is (a figure with 17 zeros), the professor gave this illustration: If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take 10^17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They’ll cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up the one silver dollar that has the special mark on it. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would’ve had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time.

“In financial terms, is there anyone who would not invest in a financial venture if the chance of failure were only one in 10^17? This is the kind of sure investment we’re offered by God for faith in His Messiah.

“From these figures, the professor concludes the fulfillment of these eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of the prophecies – the likelihood of mere chance is only one in 10^17. Another way of saying this is that any person who minimizes or ignores the significance of the biblical identifying signs concerning the Messiah would be foolish.

“But, of course, there are many more than eight prophecies. In another calculation, the professor used 48 prophecies (even though he could have used Edersheim’s 456), and arrived at the extremely conservative estimate that the probability of 48 prophecies being fulfilled in one person is the incredible number 10^157. How large is 10^157? 10^157 contains 157 zeros!

“The professor gives an illustration of this number using electrons. Electrons are very small objects. They’re smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 TIMES 10^15 of them, laid side by side, to make one inch. Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute, and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one inch long. With this introduction, let’s go back to our chance of one in 10^157. Let’s suppose that we’re taking this number of electrons, marking one, and thoroughly stirring it into the whole mass, then blindfolding a man and letting him try to find the right one. What chance has he of finding the right one? What kind of a pile will this number of electrons make? They make an inconceivably large volume.

“This is the result from considering a mere 48 prophecies. Obviously, the probability that 456 prophecies would be fulfilled in one man by chance is vastly smaller. Once one goes past one chance 10^50, the probabilities are so small that it is impossible to think that they will ever occur.

“As the professor concludes, ‘Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact, proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world.’”

We have given conclusive proof that Jesus did exist and have quoted the source that shows that there are 365 [or even 456] Messianic Prophecies in the Old Testament that are given that Jesus fulfilled from the book of Genesis to Malachi. We have further shown that the mathematical probability that Jesus is the Christ and that He was and is the Messiah is overwhelming.

Many Jews claim that Jesus (if they believe that He existed) knew the Old Testament Scriptures and just arranged His life in such a way that it appeared as if they were to apply to Him. But they should readily admit that there are hundreds of prophecies, concerning the Messiah, over which He, as a human being, could have had no influence or control. For example, how could He have “inspired” Judas to betray Him for 30 shekels of silver? How could He have arranged it to be born in Bethlehem; and how could He have influenced His parents to flee to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod?

There is no doubt that due to a misunderstanding of Scripture, the expectations of the Jewish people of that time were that of a leader who would liberate them from the oppressive yoke that the Romans had laid on them, and when Jesus came preaching a gospel of love even for one’s enemies, and when He subsequently died without replacing the Roman government and establishing Jewish rule over the land, those expectations remained unfulfilled for most of the Jews at that time.  Jesus stood in stark contrast to other false messiahs that had arisen and failed.

(To be continued)

Lead Writers: Brian Gale (United Kingdom) and Norbert Link

compiled by Dave Harris

US-German Friendship Has Ended! Are You WAKING UP???” is the title of a new StandingWatch program, presented by Evangelist Norbert Link.  

Here is a summary:

The return of Christ is near. The Great Tribulation is upon us. But the world is asleep. Are YOU asleep too? In this program, we just focus on ONE prophesied sign of the wrath to come upon mankind—the severed bond of friendship between the USA and Europe under German leadership. This hostility will lead soon to a nuclear world war during which the USA will be DESTROYED. We are presenting three examples to show how hostile these “allies” are already behaving towards each other. And it is prophesied to get much worse. Are you sure you will be protected by God when this time arrives?

We are sad to announce the death of a member in Canada. Pastor Rene Messier informed us that Darcy Beart died on Tuesday afternoon (July 28, 2020) as the result of a fall. His wife, Val Marie Beart, from Alberta, Canada, would greatly appreciate our prayers. Additionally, Virginia Goodrum from Canada, who has been attending with Mr. and Mrs. Rene Messier on the Sabbath, died last week of unknown causes. Her husband, Ray, had died in February of this year.

“Gottes Trost in unserer wahnsinnig verrückten Welt,” is the title of this Sabbath’s new German sermon, presented by Norbert Link. Title in English: “God’s Comfort in our Crazy and Insane World.”

“Das verdeckte Schlachtfeld,” is the title of last Sabbath’s German sermonette, presented by Robert Kintzi. Title in English: “The Hidden Battlefield.”

“Still the Same Day!” the sermonette presented last Sabbath by Dave Harris, is now posted. Here is a summary:

Those who pretend that Sunday is the day to observe instead of the true Sabbath are themselves nothing more than pretend Christians, and the Word of God proves it!

“Future, Fear, Focus, Faith,” the sermon presented last Sabbath by Eric Rank, is now posted. Here is a summary:

The Bible instructs us to seek the future Kingdom of God. But we know that perilous times will lead up to that future point in time. What can we do to endure the trials that we have yet to face?

The YouTube channel for the Church of the Eternal God presents past videos for StandingWatch programs along with sermonettes, sermons and promotional videos. These are also available on our website: www.eternalgod.org.