On April 20th, 2013, Brian Gale will give the sermon, titled, “It’s Not My Fault!”
 
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

Many of us, no doubt, have been inspired by many people over the years. These may be people we know, people we have heard about as well as many inspiring biblical examples. It is always an uplifting experience to read, see or experience those whose conduct and behaviour sets them well above the ordinary run of the mill behaviour so prevalent in society today.
 
We have become accustomed to the phrase good “role-models” indicating that such people are worth following and imitating. Unfortunately, many whom we are told fall into this category are anything but good role models. Public figures in the political world, in sports and entertainment are often those whose behaviour is copied but, many times, is not imitating or copying the right sort of examples.
 
Sometimes, something can happen to us personally that can be an inspiration. This happened to me (and others) recently. Mr Ralph Sage, a member of the Church of the Eternal God congregation in San Diego falls into this category. On the Sabbath of 23rd March this year, Mr Sage attended services with his wife Gertrude. Just a few hours later, he rang me to say that his wife had died unexpectedly an hour or so before. Mr Sage himself has cancer and has been given just a few months to live by the medical profession. But in this short phone call, he said that he would be at Passover services the following evening. There were no ifs and buts about this even though his wife of over 61 years had just been found dead at their home.
 
The following evening, Mr Sage was at Passover services along with some others who, themselves, had serious health and other concerns. The service was inspirational because of those who were determined to attend in spite of their personal situations which might have deflected those less dedicated.

Since that time, Mr Sage has still attended most church services and has been an inspiration to all of those in his local congregation, and beyond. In an age where so many bad examples are a daily occurrence, Mr Sage’s approach was truly inspirational.

We begin with the terrifying bombing in Boston along with the heart-breaking news of a terrible deadly explosion in Texas; we report on the seemingly unstoppable Iranian and Korean development of nuclear weapons and Israel’s warnings of a pre-emptive strike to prevent Iran; China’s investments in Europe surge while the U.S. and Germany hold differing economic views; President Obama once again snubs the U.K.; the new pope takes control; and we conclude with reporting about earthquakes–large and small–from diverse parts of the world.

Terror at the Boston Marathon!

CNN reported on April 18, 2013:

“Two bombs struck near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, turning a celebration into a bloody scene of destruction.
 
“Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Monday night that the death toll had risen to three. Scores were injured at the scene.
 
“One of the dead was an 8-year-old boy, according to a state law enforcement source.
 
“Hospitals reported at least 144 people are being treated, with at least 17 of them in critical condition and 25 in serious condition. At least eight of the patients are children.
 
“At least 10 people injured had limbs amputated, according to a terrorism expert briefed on the investigation.
 
“Several of the patients treated at Massachusetts General Hospital suffered injuries to lower limbs that will require ‘serial operations’ in the coming days, trauma surgeon Peter Fagenholz said Monday night. Some injuries were so severe amputations were necessary, Fagenholz added.

Some believe that this is the newest war with Al-Qaida, while others think that this is just the times in which we live! The fact remains that terror has now infiltrated into the daily lives of Americans in a way that seems much different! As the next article also shows, personal safety is at risk for everyone. Why? Why has terror become part of our daily lives? The Bible addresses these questions, and you can understand what prophecy reveals for our time–especially, the immediate future–please read our free booklet: “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”

Terror Srikes Texas

The Wall Street Journal reported on April 18, 2013:

“Rescue workers on Thursday began scouring the blast zone of a massive fertilizer-plant explosion that has left up to 15 people dead or missing, including emergency workers who responded to the initial fire, officials said.

“Law-enforcement officials said the death toll could rise, even as they looked for people still trapped in debris. As a heavy rain fell in this small town north of Waco, fire crews combed through the adjacent neighborhood. ‘We’re still searching for survivors,’ Waco Police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said Thursday morning.

“The incident began with a fire at the West Fertilizer Co. that began around 6 p.m. Central time on Wednesday night. Volunteer firefighters in the town of about 2,800 people roughly 80 miles south of Dallas tried to extinguish the fire at the industrial facility.

“About two hours later, a thunderous explosion ripped through the plant, registering as strong as a magnitude 2.1 earthquake, according to federal seismologists. It sent a column of smoke hundreds of feet into the air and damaged more than 50 homes in a five-block radius of the facility.

“The facility stored and blended anhydrous ammonia that it distributed as fertilizer to local businesses, according to a 2011 safety plan filed with the federal government in 2011. According to this plan, it didn’t have an automatic shutoff system or firewalls installed. It was located across the street from a park and within 1,000 feet of a school, homes and an apartment complex, where many of the injuries occurred.

“More than 150 people have been treated for injuries relating to the fire and explosion, according to local hospitals. There is an assisted-living facility close by, but more than 130 people had been evacuated from it after the fire broke out but before the explosion, said Texas state police…

“A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, D.L. Wilson, said the blast heavily damaged 50 to 75 homes, as well as an apartment building with roughly 50 units near the site.

“‘We have a tremendous number of injuries,’ Mr. Wilson said in a televised news briefing shortly after midnight. He described the scene at the West Fertilizer plant and nearby neighborhood as looking ‘just like Iraq, just like the Murrah building,’ referring to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, where 168 people died after a truck filled with fertilizer was detonated in a domestic terrorist attack in 1995.

Iran and North Korea’s Deadly Cooperation

Newsmax reported on April 12, 2013:

“Analysts fear a dramatic advance in North Korea’s nuclear missile technology, revealed inadvertently during a Congressional hearing Thursday, will quickly find its way to Iran — forcing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fast-track a long-contemplated attack against Tehran’s nuclear-enrichment facilities.

“Pentagon officials are playing down a U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency assessment that North Korea probably has the ability to miniaturize a nuclear weapon and place it on an ICBM. U.S. officials say that miniaturization capability, if it exists, is untested and unreliable.

“In February, North Korea detonated what is described as a ‘lighter, miniaturized atomic bomb.’ At the time, there was speculation this could signal the Hermit Kingdom had developed a nuclear warhead that it could place on its long-range missiles. Pentagon officials, however, continued to insist North Korea was at least a year away from developing that capability.

“Jerusalem Post defense analyst Yaakov Katz, author of ‘Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War,’ tells Newsmax that U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials have generally agreed that it would take Iran six to 12 months to build a nuclear device once it tried to break out and enrich its material from the 20-percent to the 90-percent level required. Beyond that, intelligence experts have projected, it would then take Iran another year or two to produce a miniaturized warhead that could be installed on a missile.

“Now, Katz says, the time lag between reaching nuclear capability and Iran’s ability to arm a missile with a nuclear warhead appears to have vanished. That means Thursday’s revelation could reduce Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nonmilitary options against Iran, forcing the Jewish state to step up its timetable for attacking the Persian nation should it acquire enough enriched uranium to be a significant threat.

“’If the North Koreans are much more advanced than we assumed, then that could mean that when the Iranians surge to move forward, that the whole time frame would change also,’ Katz tells Newsmax. ‘It would mean Israel and the West would have to revisit the time frames that they’ve put in for the Iranians, and that could be much shorter now — which means your window of opportunity [to attack] is also becoming smaller.’

“Experts say Israel would have to assume that any North Korean miniaturization technology would soon find its way into the hands of Iran’s mullahs. In fact, it is possible Iranian technology enabled North Korea’s push to miniaturize its warheads — the step that makes them capable of being installed on an ICBM. There is widespread agreement in the intelligence community that the two embattled nations routinely exchange technology, and sometimes military hardware as well…

“The news that one U.S. intelligence agency believes North Korea already has achieved the ability to design nuclear-missile warheads was inadvertently disclosed by GOP Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado on Thursday during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee. He was reading a portion of a classified document that had been erroneously marked declassified.

“That disclosure means Israeli leaders must now assume the window between the moment Iran acquires nuclear capability, and the horrific moment when it could launch an attack on a major Israeli city such as Tel Aviv, would be a matter of months or weeks rather than years, experts say.

“That North Korea has helped Iran bolster its missile technology is well established. In recent years, as Iranian technology surpassed that of North Korea, the technical assistance flowed the other way as well, sources say.”

Iran’s Nuclear Quest

The Washington Post wrote on April 15, 2013:
 
“For years, mystery surrounded an Iranian-­controlled factory tucked away in this town of 70,000 in Germany’s industrial west.

“The plant manufactured high-pressure gas tanks, but its managers seemed uninterested in making a profit. Potential investors were turned away. An expensive piece of machinery — precise enough to produce components for centrifuges and missiles — sat idle after a failed attempt to ship it to Iran. Finally, the factory, MCS Technologies, closed its doors late last month.

“Since then, the mystery has taken another turn. European security officials and former workers have raised questions about whether the high-tech equipment and material at MCS could have been part of a scheme to aid Iran’s rogue nuclear program…

“With the United States, Germany and other Western countries trying to tighten sanctions on Iran to slow its nuclear program, the MCS mystery demonstrates the difficulty of tracking the flow of technology and material that have civilian and military applications.”

Israel’s Military Prepares…

The Washington Times reported on April 16, 2013:

“Israeli military and political heads are holding intense discussions on how best to launch an independent attack on Iran, should the need arise, the nation’s defense force chief said Tuesday.
 
“’The Iranian challenge is very significant and we must approach it with a responsible long-term strategy,’ IDF chief Benny Gantz said, The Times of Israel reported. ‘We will do what is necessary when it is necessary.’
 
“Mr. Gantz specified that Israel had the ability to hit Iran’s nuclear targets on its own — absent aid from any other country, including the United States. And ongoing military-political talks were focusing on that scenario, he said, in The Times of Israel.”

A Warning From Prime Minister Netanyahu

The Jerusalem Post wrote on April 18, 2013:

“Iran needs only 80 kilograms more of 20% enriched uranium before it can produce a nuclear bomb, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Thursday afternoon.

“’It takes 250 kilos of 20% enriched uranium to manufacture a nuclear bomb. They [Iran] have gone up from 110 to 170 kilos,’ Netanyahu said…

“The threat of a North Korean nuclear strike has underscored the danger of Iran’s nuclear program, Netanyahu said.

“’The entire world is paralyzed, shattered, destabilized by this rogue state [North Korea] that has nuclear weapons,’ Netanyahu said.

“’Iran is many times fold stronger than North Korea both in GDP and aggressive tendencies and the world wide web of terror that they have,’ Netanyahu said.

“Tehran has armed terrorists with rockets and has the ability to shut down the world’s oil supply, he said. If they have a nuclear weapons, it would spark a nuclear arms race in the region.

“’The Middle East will become a tinderbox. The threat of Iran’s getting nuclear weapons is a direct threat to the existence of Israel, but I think that it is a supreme pivot of history. It threatens the peace of the world,’ Netanyahu said.”

China Invests in Europe

Spiegel Online International wrote on April 16, 2013:

“Europe has become the world’s largest recipient of foreign investment by Chinese firms. While North America largely views them with suspicion, China’s state-owned corporations have been largely welcomed in a continent plagued by recession and in desperate need of cash.

“Chinese state-owned companies are expanding their influence in Europe, investing more than $12.6 billion (€9.6 billion) in the Continent last year, according to a study by the Hong Kong-based private equity firm A Capital.

Germany Doesn’t Need U.S. Fix!

The euobserver.com reported on April 13, 2013:

“US treasury secretary Jack Lew on Tuesday (9 April) hinted that Germany should boost its internal demand to help Europe get out of the crisis.

“But German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Berlin has no need for US tutelage.

“‘We need to balance policies of growth and fiscal consolidation. The driving force behind any recovery is consumer demand, so any policies to help encourage consumer demand in countries that have the capacity would be helpful,’ Lew said during a joint press conference with Schaeuble in Berlin.

“Germany has a policy of keeping down wages in order to make it a more attractive location for manufacturers and exporters.

“But the low pay stymies growth in German domestic consumption.

“At the same time, its firm policy on avoiding inflation has kept the euro relatively strong on currency markets, hampering efforts by crisis-hit eurozone states, such as Greece or Spain, to export their way out of trouble.

“For his part, Schaeuble, while welcoming the new US minister on his first visit to Berlin, said there is no need for Germany or the US to give ‘lessons’ or ‘grades’ to each other.

“‘We need to understand each other. The situation in the US is completely different than the one in Europe and I was trying to explain that,’ he told press.

“‘I tried to explain to him the complicated structures we have here in Europe. We are on the right way [out of the crisis], but we have complex decision making structures,’ he added.

“Both officials tried to downplay their differences on how to balance austerity with growth-spurring measures.”

Obama’s Snub… Again!

MailOnline reported on April 15, 2013:

“Friends and allies of Baroness Thatcher expressed ‘surprise and disappointment’ last night as it emerged President Obama is not planning to send any serving member of his administration to her funeral.
 
“Whitehall sources have revealed that the US delegation at tomorrow’s service in St Paul’s Cathedral will be led by two Reagan era secretaries of state: James Baker and George Shultz.
 
“Though President Obama himself had not been expected to attend, there had been speculation that he would be represented either by Vice President Joe Biden or wife Michelle. However, the Obama administration had said it would not be attending Thatcher’s funeral before the Boston bombings

“The Queen’s decision to attend Lady Thatcher’s funeral has effectively elevated it to a state occasion unprecedented for a political figure in Britain since the death of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.
 
“Other world leaders, including Canada’s Stephen Harper, Mario Monti of Italy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, are attending the service in person.

“President Obama paid tribute to Lady Thatcher’s towering achievements when her death was announced last week.
 
“But a US embassy spokesman confirmed that no serving member of his administration would be present to pay their last respects, citing a busy week in US domestic politics.”

Newsmax also noted on April 18, 2013:

“President Barack Obama’s decision not to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Wednesday was blasted by a former Reagan administration official and Fox News analyst who called it shameful, ‘cheap, small and petty.’

“Writing on Fox News.com, Fox National Security Analyst Kathleen Troia ‘K.T.’ McFarland said the administration’s official excuse that the president and vice president were consumed with a busy week — which included the Boston Marathon bombing tragedy — rang hollow.

“It does — after all — take a mere 24 hours to fly to London and back for a state funeral, she noted.

“’It is standard operating procedure for the Vice President or First Lady or, at a minimum the Secretary of State, to attend funerals of foreign leaders, even those from lesser nations,’ McFarland wrote. ‘Shame on you, Mr. President. You and your administration look cheap, small and petty.

“’It goes without saying that when one of the longest serving leaders of America’s closest and most enduring ally dies, the United States should send a large and distinguished delegation of America’s leaders, past and present,’ added McFarland, who is a Distinguished Adviser to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and served in national security posts in the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations.

“She wasn’t the only one criticizing the president for his handling of the funeral. Obama was slammed in the British tabloids, as well.

“They reported that the government of Prime Minister David Cameron was incensed, especially since former Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair was sitting in the front row of the service.

“'[Downing] Street is most angered by rejections from Obama, First Lady Michelle and Vice-President Joe Biden. And none of the four surviving ex-U.S. leaders — Jimmy Carter, George Bush Sr, Bill Clinton and George Bush Jr — is coming either,’ The Sun reported, according to Politico.

“The Sun continued: ‘The response contrasts with glowing U.S. tributes on the day Lady Thatcher died. A No 10 source said last night: “We are a little surprised by the White House’s reaction as we were expecting a high-profile attendance.” The “snub” came ahead of the Boston marathon ‘bomb outrage.'”‘”

It appears that President Obama’s insensitivites toward the British are all too obvious. Early in his first term, the president removed a bust of Winston Churchill from the White House and had it returned to England. Now, his latest actions are drawing pointed criticism from our closest ally. Mr. Obama’s less than diplomatic treatment has eroded the bond so characterized by the former British Prime Minister Thatcher and U.S. President Reagan.

Hypocrisy of Catholic Priests at Issue

Reuters wrote on April 14, 2013:

“Pope Francis on Sunday said clergy and Christians must not betray the word of God with their actions or they undermine the credibility of the Catholic Church.

“Francis, elected a month ago, inherited a Church struggling to restore credibility after a series of scandals, including the sexual abuse of children by priests.

“The pope spoke at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, where he celebrated Mass. He also greeted pilgrims and local Church members earlier in St. Peter’s square.

“‘Inconsistency on the part of pastors and the faithful between what they say and what they do, between word and manner of life, is undermining the Church’s credibility,’ the pontiff said in his homily.

“‘Those who listen to us and observe us must be able to see in our actions what they hear from our lips, and so give glory to God!’

“In his first major decision on Saturday, Francis set up an advisory board of cardinals to help him govern the Church and reform its troubled central administration, which was riddled by infighting and alleged corruption under Pope Benedict.”

Vatican Remains Unyeilding

Los Angeles Times reported on April 15, 2013:

“Pope Francis has backed the Vatican’s doctrinal crackdown on a major group of American nuns, reasserting the Roman Catholic Church’s conservative approach to various social issues in a move that could cool the warm reception he has received from some liberal Catholics since taking office last month.

“The Vatican said in a statement Monday that Francis had reaffirmed the doctrinal evaluation and criticism of U.S. nuns made last year by the Holy See under his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. The assessment accused the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization that represents most U.S. female Catholic orders, of promoting “radical feminist themes” and ignoring the Vatican’s hard line on same-sex marriage and abortion.

“At the time, the Vatican dispatched an archbishop to rewrite the group’s statutes and set up reeducation programs to bring nuns back into line, alleging that leaders of U.S. orders had challenged the church’s teachings on women’s ordination and ministry to homosexuals.”

Earthquakes…

The Associated Press reported on April 18, 2013:

“Iran’s state TV says a moderate, magnitude 5.2 earthquake rattled a small town in the country’s northwest…

“It’s the third quake in Iran in the past 10 days. A magnitude 7.5 quake shook a sparsely populated area near the Pakistani border on Tuesday. A week before that, a magnitude 6.1 quake struck another part of the south, killing 37 people and injuring hundreds.
 
“Iran lies on seismic fault lines and experiences one slight quake a day on average.”

9News from Oklahoma City reported on April 16, 2013:

“Several earthquakes shook central Oklahoma in the early morning hours of Tuesday, including one that hit while News 9 was on the air.
 
“News 9 received hundreds of phone calls, emails, Facebook and Twitter messages soon after the first earthquake hit.
 
“The first quake was reported around 1:45 a.m. about three miles west of Chandler. The United State Geological Survey says it had a magnitude of 3.0.
 
“Fifteen minutes later, the strongest earthquake of the morning hit the Oklahoma City metro area. The 4.3 quake  was centered near Luther, 29 miles east and northeast of Oklahoma City. This earthquake awakened many residents and shook buildings from Oklahoma City to Stillwater.

“The USGS reported a third quake at 2:15 a.m. near Boley, Oklahoma. This one had a magnitude of 2.8. One minute later, a fourth early-morning quake shook the area of Luther and Choctaw.   The USGS says this one had a magnitude of 3.3.

“At 5:16 a.m., a fifth earthquake measuring 4.2 was recorded four miles east northeast of Luther. This one struck while News 9 Meteorologist Jed Castles was on the air sharing the forecast, but he was so focused Stan Miller and Bobbie Miller had to interrupt him and point out the lights in the studio were swinging because of the latest earthquake.”

The eighth resurrection of the Roman Empire under Napoleon had come and gone. According to the Bible, two more revivals would have to take place before Christ could come back. And so, the ninth, but short-lived revival occurred in the 20th century, over 100 years after Napoleon, under Mussolini and Hitler.

The Ninth Revival under Mussolini and Hitler

Technically, it was Benito Mussolini under whom the ninth revival of the Roman Empire took place, but he was of course greatly supported in this by Adolf Hitler.

The Living World of History states the following about Mussolini:

“Benito Mussolini, the son of a blacksmith, was a man of violent and boastful character, fiery patriotism and flaming ambition. Supported by the bludgeon of his blackshirted Fascist gangs (named after fasces, or rods, which in ancient Roman times had been carried before the chief magistrates), he seized power in 1922 and set himself up as dictator… He even entertained fantastic ideas about reviving the glory of the ancient Roman Empire. In 1935-6, cynically disregarding the solemn covenant of the League of Nations, he invaded and annexed Abyssinia [modern Ethiopia]…”

John Kirshon, a journalist/editor with more than 25 years of experience at the Associated Press, The New York Times and CBS News, wrote the following in March of 2010:

“With financial support from employers squeezed by trade unions and corrupt politicians, Mussolini developed a loyal following among disenchanted, angry, mostly lower-middle-class conservatives and veterans, as well as the military, the business elite, and the right wing. He promised them he would end disorder and corruption, and recreate the glory of the Roman Empire… Among his admirers was Adolf Hitler, who introduced the Roman salute to his Nazis and dressed his bodyguard in black shirts… [Mussolini’s] dream of a new Roman Empire led to the conquest of Ethiopia in 1935-36 in defiance of the League of Nations. In 1936, he sent troops to support General Franco in the Spanish Civil War. In 1939, he invaded Albania. By the end of the 1930s, Mussolini had moved closer to Hitler and Nazi Germany.

“Although wary of German power, Mussolini agreed to the Rome-Berlin Axis, or Pact of Steel, and on June 10, 1940, led Italy into World War II on the side of the Axis… King Victor Emmanuel discharged Mussolini as head of state on July 25, 1943. He was arrested and jailed, but rescued by German commandos. Then, he became head of the Hitler-installed Italian Social Republic in northern Italy…

“Grandeur for Mussolini meant empire building. In 1934 Mussolini said, ‘After the Rome of the Caesars, after that of the Popes, today there is a new Rome, Fascist Rome’… His dream was to be called Mare Nostrum or, ‘Our Mediterranean’, extending from Palestine to Egypt and throughout parts of Africa… Mussolini’s recreation of a Roman Empire was commemorated by the monumental construction of the Via dell’Impero.

“Mussolini attempted to turn monuments of Augustan Rome into symbols of the fascist doctrine. His goals in doing so were to validate his role as the founder of a new Roman empire … He recognized in himself a parallel to the Roman emperors, Augustus in particular… During the speech he delivered upon the installation of the first fascist governor of Rome on December 31st, 1925, he made his plans for a new Rome public: ‘Within five years Rome must strike all the nations of the world as a source of wonder: huge, well organized, powerful, as it was at the time of the Augustan Empire….’

“The Via dell’Impero was opened in 1932 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the March on Rome. The overall point of the imperial boulevard was to establish and promote a relationship between the glory of ancient Rome and Mussolini’s Fascist Regime. The broad thoroughfare physically connects the most identifiable ancient symbol of the Coliseum with Mussolini’s Fascist headquarters in Piazza Venezia. More importantly it was a figurative symbol to seamlessly show the continuity of the Roman Empire.”

The following is stated in “The History of Europe and the Church” (Worldwide Church of God, ed. 1984):

“He perceived himself as a modern-day Caesar… He shaves his head to make himself look more like Caesar… He dreams of a modern Roman Empire, of repeating the great days of ancient Rome. The handshake is abolished and the old Roman salute with raised arm becomes the official greeting… Following the example of ancient Rome, some of Mussolini’s Fascist supporters even call him ‘divine Caesar.’ [As we will see, he even came to believe himself to be a god.]… [Following Italy’s defeat of Ethiopia] Mussolini now proclaims another resurrection of the Roman Empire.”

Turning to Mussolini’s beliefs and his collaboration with the Catholic Church, we are introduced to remarkable facts.

The Wikipedia Encyclopedia writes:

“Mussolini was raised by a devoutly Catholic mother and an anti-clerical father. His mother Rosa had him baptized into the Roman Catholic Church, and took her children to services every Sunday… Mussolini would become anti-clerical like his father. As a young man, he ‘proclaimed himself to be an atheist and several times tried to shock an audience by calling on God to strike him dead.’… He believed that science had proven there was no God, and that the historical Jesus was ignorant and mad… Mussolini made vitriolic attacks against Christianity and the Catholic Church… Despite making such attacks, Mussolini would try to win popular support by appeasing the Catholic majority in Italy. In 1924, Mussolini saw that three of his children were given communion. In 1925, he had a priest perform a religious marriage ceremony for himself and his wife Rachele, whom he had married in a civil ceremony 10 years earlier.

“On 11 February 1929, he signed a concordat and treaty with the Roman Catholic Church. Under the Lateran Pact, Vatican City was granted independent statehood and placed under Church law—rather than Italian law—and the Catholic religion was recognized as Italy’s state religion. The Church also regained authority over marriage, Catholicism could be taught in all secondary schools, birth control and freemasonry were banned, and the clergy received subsidies from the state, and was exempted from taxation. Pope Pius XI praised Mussolini, and the official Catholic newspaper pronounced ‘Italy has been given back to God and God to Italy’…

“After the concordat… Mussolini reportedly came close to being excommunicated from the Catholic Church… Mussolini publicly reconciled with… Pope Pius XI in 1932, but ‘took care to exclude from the newspapers any photography of himself kneeling or showing deference to the Pope.’ He wanted to persuade Catholics that ‘[f]ascism was Catholic and he himself a believer who spent some of each day in prayer …’ The Pope began referring to Mussolini as ‘a man sent by Providence.’ Despite Mussolini’s efforts to appear pious, by order of his party, pronouns referring to him ‘had to be capitalized like those referring to God …’

“After his fall from power in 1943, Mussolini began speaking ‘more about God and the obligations of conscience’, although ‘he still had little use for the priests and sacraments of the Church.’ He also began drawing parallels between himself and Jesus Christ…”

“P.M. Biografie” wrote the following about Mussolini in March of 2008:

“As head of state, he reconciles with the Vatican, which increases his reputation among the people. Merely because of political reasons, he is married before the altar, and has his five children baptized. The pope… praises Mussolini as ‘the man whom Providence gave us’… Mussolini is worshipped as a god, his ministers are his high priests. He dreams of Rome as a metropolis as it existed during the times of Emperor Augustus… His headquarters is Rome and because of the immunity of the Vatican, he is safe from British bombs… Il Duce was during his glorious days more popular than anyone before or after him in the modern history of Italy.”

The book, “Kingdom of Europe,” added the following:

“The Lateran Pacts of 1929 consisted of a treaty between Italy and the Holy See and concordat regulating relations between the Italian state and the Catholic church. The treaty created the independent state of Vatican City and recognized the sovereignty of the pope there. In the concordat the church was assured of jurisdiction in ecclesiastical matters, and canon law was recognized as superseding the civil code in such areas as marriage. The church was restored to its role in education and allowed unencumbered operation of its press and communication facilities.”

In spite of his personal feelings towards the Catholic Church and his ambitions to be worshipped as a god and to restore the Roman Empire, we still see that he collaborated with the Church so much so that the pope praised him as a man sent by Providence—obviously a reference to God Himself. The competition between Church and State, which lasted throughout the history of the revivals of the Roman Empire, was also existent during the time of Mussolini and Hitler, and it will again be observable during the tenth and last revival.

Even though Mussolini actually declared publically the revival of the Roman Empire through him, this “revival” was short-lived and in no way comparable to the previous resurrections. This is the reason why the Bible describes it in Revelation 17:8-10 as the one which “is not, and yet is.” It says: “The beast… was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit… And those who dwell on the earth will marvel… when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is… The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five [previous Church-State resurrections of the Roman Empire] have fallen, one is [the one under Mussolini], and the other has not yet come [the last revival]…”

In our free booklet, “Is That In the Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation,” we state that the ninth revival was the “comparatively insignificant Italian-German resurrection under Mussolini and Hitler (compare Revelation 17:10–11. Although this resurrection existed when God’s Church understood the meaning of this prophecy at the time of the late Herbert W. Armstrong [Revelation 17:10: “one IS”], it was very insignificant, so that it is also characterized as not existing [Revelation 17:11: “is NOT”].)

“Neither Mussolini nor Hitler were crowned by a Pope (as Justinian had not been, either); nevertheless, a close partnership existed between the Catholic Church under Pope Pius XII and Italy and Germany. This partnership can be seen by Mussolini’s signing the Lateran Treaty with the papacy in 1929, establishing papal sovereignty of the Vatican City, affirming Roman Catholicism as the only religion of Italy and, in turn, having the papacy officially recognize Mussolini as the rightful Italian governor. Further, the Vatican signed a concordat with Hitler in 1933, protecting the rights of the Church under Nazi regime and giving Hitler’s government an outward semblance of legitimacy.”

The ninth resurrection of the Roman Empire under Mussolini and Hitler had ended, and one more revival is prophesied to occur. That last revival of the ancient Roman Empire has been in the making for quite some time, and its final configuration is not that far off, as we will explain in future installments.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

The yearly conference of the Church of the Eternal God, Global Church of God (United Kingdom) and Church of God a Christian Fellowship (Canada) was conducted starting April 12 and continued through April 16. Meetings and activities were held in Fort Collins, Colorado.

During the weekly Sabbath, three men were ordained, and we are pleased to announce that Kalon Mitchell of Ramona, California, was ordained to the office of deacon; Michael Link of Ramona, California, was ordained to the office of elder; and Robb Harris of Fort Collins, Colorado, was also ordained to the office of elder.

We will announce more details about our very successful conference in our next monthly member letter.

A recent AufPostenStehen program recored by Evangelist Norbert Link and titled “Deutschland und Amerika in der Prophezeiung,” has received an unusally high level of interest! This German language program has received more than 5,200 views on YouTube in just two weeks time.

On April 13th, 2013, Rene Messier will give the sermon, titled, “Not Enough.”
 
The services can be heard at www.cognetservices.org (12:30 pm Pacific Time; 1:30 pm Mountain Time; 2:30 pm Central Time; 3:30 pm Eastern Time). Just click on Connect to Live Stream.

In the broad scope of biblical accounts, a very important challenge emerges for those who truly seek to please God, and that is the issue of offenses.

Consider what Jesus said in this regard:

“‘Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!’” (Matthew 18:7);

“‘But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea’” (Mark 9:42).

We cannot be pleasing God when we offend people through our wrong actions. Jesus, in these statements of His, characterizes the world and how people now live. However, He also is firmly warning His followers to separate themselves from behaving in ways that offend.

The apostle Paul addresses how we are to live our lives as followers of Jesus Christ when issues do arise, and he states, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18).

Solomon also wrote of the serious consequences of offenses:

“A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle” (Proverbs 18:19).

Our challenge is to diligently avoid offenses if at all possible. That means we must be the ones to do the right thing—with the hope that the godly way will triumph. This approach applies whether we might be the source or the object of offenses.

We know that Jesus Christ’s actions and teachings caused some people to take offense (compare Matthew 11:6; 13:57; 15:12). Even among those who initially followed Him, the majority ended up rejecting Him (compare John 6:60-71).

Over the many years, some members within the Church of God have come to a point where, for any number of reasons, they have also rejected Jesus Christ and God’s calling. That has remained true from the beginning, and it is a truth that we still do and will face. Jesus warned of this occurrence—especially culminating in these last days:

“‘And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another’” (Matthew 24:10).

We begin with paying tribute to Margaret Thatcher (87) who died Monday. She was undoubtedly the greatest British leader since Winston Churchill. She was able to restore Britain to temporary greatness. However, after her resignation as Prime Minister, Britain returned to its path of steady decline, and no leader has risen since then who would have been able to reverse the trend… nor will there be any such leader in the future, prior to Christ’s return.

Mrs. Thatcher seems to have had a discerning view regarding political developments in Europe and Germany’s future role—an insight which is lacking these days in most politicians. Her opposition to German reunification and European totalitarian integration made her unpopular in Europe and especially in Germany, but who is to tell whether she was not given an inkling of a perception as to what the Bible prophesies is going to happen in the not-too-distant future.

Turning to other news, we report on the strong economic relationship between Germany and Russia, which is overshadowed by political disunity; quote excerpts from an insightful article on Iraq, showing that America did not win that war by any stretch of the imagination; warn of another potential war in the Middle East pertaining to Iran and Israel; and conclude with more sickening news regarding pork in elk lasagna.

Margaret Thatcher—a Friend of Israel

JTA wrote on April 8:

“Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who was considered a good friend of Israel despite a rocky relationship with Prime Minister Menachem Begin, has died. Thatcher died Monday after suffering a stroke. She was 87. Thatcher suffered from dementia at the end of her life, which was dramatized in the 2011 movie ‘The Iron Lady.’ The only female to serve as prime minister of Britain, she also was the longest continuously serving prime minister in the 20th century, leading the country and her Conservative Party from 1979 to 1990.

“Thatcher was supportive of Israel but had a troubled relationship with Begin, who served two terms in the 1980s. She called Begin the ‘most difficult’ man she had to deal with, according to the Chronicle. She also strongly opposed Israel’s bombing of Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor. She believed that the Arab-Israel conflict was at the center of the Western world’s difficulties in the Middle East, pressing Israeli leaders to make peace with the Palestinians in order to cool regional tensions.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mourned her passing in a statement. ‘She was truly a great leader, a woman of principle, of determination, of conviction, of strength; a woman of greatness,’ Netanyahu said. ‘She was a staunch friend of Israel and the Jewish people. She inspired a generation of political leaders. I send my most sincere condolences to her family and to the government and people of Great Britain.’…

“Thatcher reportedly had no patience for anti-Semitism nor those who espoused it. She was a strong supporter of Soviet Jewry…”

“Unless We Change Our Ways…”

The Washington Post wrote on April 8:

“’Unless we change our ways and our direction, our greatness as a nation will soon be a footnote in the history books, a distant memory of an offshore island, lost in the mists of time like Camelot, remembered kindly for its noble past.’ Margaret Thatcher… presented that grim vision for Britain in 1979, the year she became prime minister.

“Then, for the next 11½ years — almost as long as three U.S. presidential terms — she worked with fierce determination and unrelenting stubbornness to dispel it. By the time she left office, reluctantly, in 1990, there was not much talk anymore of Britain’s inexorable decline. Ms. Thatcher…had changed not only her country’s direction but also its standing in the world. She continued to be passionately detested by some and admired and respected by others long after she left office, and her record will be debated for decades — or centuries. What is hardly debatable is the proposition that she was, in every sense of the word, a leader…

“Ms. Thatcher’s great domestic battles as prime minister were waged against the institutional left and its supporters among the British intelligentsia, which meant, of course, that they were extremely entertaining. They were fought on the same issue that divides Europeans to this day: When does the people’s demand for security become so all-consuming that it overtaxes the economy, saps initiative and buries the state under a mountain of debt?…

“But outside Britain she will be remembered primarily as a world figure. She strengthened Britain’s ties with the United States, bolstered its military, supported the placement of intermediate-range missiles in Europe (an extremely controversial move at the time) and spoke out with undiplomatic boldness when she took offense at some countries’ actions. She saw a great divide between freedom and the various forms of tyranny in the world, and she made it clear, always, which side she was on. She voiced harsh criticism of the Soviet Union but also, like her good friend President Ronald Reagan, moved to engage its new leader, Mikhail Gorbachev… ‘I can’t bear Britain in decline, I just can’t,’ she said in an interview shortly before her election as prime minister 32 years ago. She did what she thought necessary to stop that decline, and she didn’t really seem to have much worry about what anyone else thought of it…”

“She Made Britain Stand Tall Again”

Mail On Line added on April 8:

“Prime Minister David Cameron said she had a ‘lion-hearted love of this country’ and ‘fought for Britain’s interests all the way’. ‘We’ve lost a great leader, a great Prime Minister and a great Briton’, he said. ‘There were people who said she couldn’t make it, who stood in her way, who said that a woman couldn’t lead, and she defied them all.

“‘Margaret Thatcher took a country that was on its knees and made Britain stand tall again. She was the patriot prime minister. When people said Britain could not be great again, she proved them wrong.’”

Opposed to German Reunification

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 8:

“Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher… was the most important British politician of the post-war period… [and] one of the most influential politicians of the 20th century… She was… initially opposed to German reunification, telling Gorbachev two months before the fall of the Wall that it ‘would lead to a change in post-war borders, and we cannot allow that because such a development would undermine the stability of the whole international situation and could endanger our security.’ Thatcher’s ‘Iron Lady’ stance was eventually to prove her downfall…”

The Betrayed Wartime Hero

Der Spiegel added on April 8:

“… she drove West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl to the verge of desperation with her dogged resistance to German reunification. As a member of the war generation, she didn’t trust the Germans to find the right path…

“Even her own critics don’t dispute that Thatcher was one of the most dominant political figures of the 20th century. When she was elected prime minister in May 1979, the country was suffering from hopeless self-doubt and an anemic economy. The country that was once the world’s greatest empire had become the sick man of Europe…

“As with all successful figures in history, Margaret Thatcher got lucky. If the Argentine military junta had not invaded the Falkland Islands off their coast in 1982, Thatcher may have remained the unpopular prime minister she was back then. But the Falklands War transformed her into a national hero. After Britain’s easy victory over Argentina, she was able to continue in office and easily win re-election twice…

“The end of her term came in November 1990, not with an electoral defeat but a rebellion from within her own party. Her anti-EU policies had isolated her from her cabinet, leading her to resign when she realized she no longer had their support. Throughout her life she was unable to get over this betrayal.”

The “New” Iron Lady Praises the “Old”

The Local wrote on April 8:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher… as an ‘extraordinary leader’ who played a pivotal role in overcoming Europe’s Cold War division… Merkel [is] a fellow conservative who was often compared to Thatcher when she became chancellor in 2005… Germany’s ex-chancellor Helmut Kohl also had fond words for Thatcher… Kohl, 83, who governed Germany for a record 16 years, said fellow conservative Thatcher was ‘an upstanding fighter and representative of the interests of her country.’… Kohl was a driving force behind European enlargement and integration in the years after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 leading to German reunification which Thatcher initially vehemently opposed.

“Shortly after news broke that Thatcher had died, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he would be cancelling the rest of his tour of Europe which he started in Madrid this week. He was supposed to be pressing his case for reform of the European Union ahead of a referendum on his own country’s membership of the bloc. Instead, he will pay his respects to Britain’s first female premier at her funeral in London.

“Cameron was meant to visit Berlin at the end of the week for ‘further discussions about taking forward his (EU) reform agenda,’ Downing Street said. Britain sent shockwaves through the EU in January after Cameron set out plans to wrest back powers from Brussels and to then put Britain’s reshaped membership to an in-out referendum by the end of 2017.”

It is interesting to recognize how unexpected events seem to influence what could otherwise become disruptive movements. God’s plan will be fulfilled, and it is prophesied that Europe will unite—without Great Britain.

Germany and Russia—A Shaky Relationship

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 8:

“Russia is the partner country for the 2013 Hannover Messe – the trade fair for the industrial sector. While German-Russian economic ties are booming, political problems are straining relations between the countries… The German government expressed its concern over Russian officials’ raids of German organizations in Moscow and St. Petersburg. At the end of March, Russian authorities inspected the offices of the political Konrad Adenauer and Friedrich Ebert foundations, temporarily confiscating computers and documents…

“Yet political tensions don’t seem to be putting a burden on the intense economic relations between Russia and Germany. Russia has become the partner country for the Hannover Messe for the second time in a decade. The trade fair for the industrial sector is the largest of its kind in the world… According to the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, bilateral trade volume between Russia and Germany reached a record of over 80 billion euros ($104 billion) in 2012…”

As the Bible prophesied, many countries, including Russia, would have a rich economic relationship with EU under German rule.

Iraq—America’s Lost War

Deutsche Welle wrote on April 9:

“When Iraqi civilians and American soldiers toppled the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad 10 years ago, no one had any idea how long the war would last, or how far-reaching its effects would be… Ten years after the fall of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, neither the situation in Iraq nor the relationship between Iraq and the United States are what the architects of the war imagined they would be back in 2003. America now has virtually no influence in Iraq, a country characterized by weak institutions, violence, human rights abuses, and the growing strength of the terrorist group al Qaeda. And critics say this is the fault of the United States government – both the previous administration and the current one.

“Erin Evers from Human Rights Watch, for example, said America set a bad example when it comes to human rights policy. The humiliating treatment of Iraqi prisoners in the prison of Abu Ghraib was just one example. ‘Before 2002/2003 we had a certain amount of credibility in the eyes of the world where human rights were concerned,’ said Evers. That, she explained, has changed, which has made it difficult for the US government to denounce human rights abuses in Iraq. ‘We haven’t seen any improvements under [President] Obama, either,’ Evers said. ‘In 2009 he decided not to hold any of the superior officers [in Abu Ghraib] to account. That was a big mistake.’

“At present, 10,500 Americans are still on official missions in Iraq, including diplomatic personnel, and employees of private companies responsible for security, catering, and other administrative support. By the end of the year this number should have been reduced to 5,100, around one-fifth of whom are in the diplomatic service. Soldiers could have assumed responsibility for ensuring security, but there have been no US soldiers in the country since the end of 2011. Negotiations to try to secure a troop agreement broke down over the question of immunity for American soldiers. Peter Feaver, professor of politics at Duke University in the US, blamed the Obama administration for this failure. ‘[The Iraqi] Prime Minister Maliki was prepared to guarantee their immunity,’ he said, ‘but the US attorney insisted it had to be confirmed by parliament.’ The Iraqis didn’t think they would be able to push this through, so the negotiations ultimately failed.

“The security situation in Iraq remains unstable. People still frequently die in terrorist attacks. The situation is especially tense at the moment, before elections in 18 of the 20 provinces, due to take place on April 20. The fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime has not improved the situation of the people, Evers said. ‘People say, yes, it was terrible under Saddam, but there was just one enemy, and if you steered well clear of politics it was possible to lead a halfway normal life,’ she said. Now, though, the various dangers are far more difficult to locate, and affect every aspect of their lives…

“The American people are… divided… in their assessments of the Iraq war. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Institute, 44 percent said it was wrong to go to war, while 41 percent said it was the right decision. And although 46 percent were of the view that the United States has, broadly speaking, achieved its goals, 43 percent said America more or less failed… This mood is much the same as in 2008, when Obama won the presidential election, in part because of his opposition to the war in Iraq…

“Americans have paid a high price for their invasion of Iraq. The latest study from Brown University puts the bill at more than $2.2 trillion. Furthermore, according to Phillips, ‘The United States’ standing in the Arab world has suffered, and it has put a strain on its relationship with its European allies.’… Washington has also grown cautious when it comes to military deployments, as can be seen from its reluctance to get involved in Syria.”

The Bible prophesied that in these end times, America will not win any more wars. This has certainly become true since World War II. America has consistently lost its wars, including the Koran War, the Vietnam War, the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War. The next big event with be a war with Europe, which America is also going to lose.

Hayden: Military Action Against Iran Unavoidable

Lignet.com wrote on April 6:

“Former CIA Director Michael Hayden told LIGNET this week that it may be too late for diplomacy to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons. ‘I am doubtful, and pessimistic, that we’re going to be able to solve this without someone taking some sort of kinetic action against the Iranians,’ he said. Hayden saw poor prospects for diplomatic efforts, a concern that grew today after Western diplomats said the latest round of nuclear talks with Iran ended in failure.”

Another war in the Middle East, involving Israel, Iran and perhaps the USA and other nations, would have devastating consequences for the entire region, but it might very well happen. If the USA was to get involved, it would not emerge victoriously.

Netanyahu: Israel Responsible for Its Own Security

The Jerusalem Post wrote on April 7:

“Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke at the main state ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem on Sunday, quoting anti-Semitic statements by Iranian religious leaders as evidence that the hatred against the Jews that existed during the Holocaust is still in existence. Netanyahu quoted Iranian religious leaders as recently saying, ‘the Zionists are microbes and bacteria, the Jews are polluted people that spread disease.’…

“Netanyahu stated that anti-Semitic hatred ‘has not disappeared, it has been switched with murderous hatred against the state of the Jews. What has changed is our ability to defend ourselves.’… The prime minister stated that while Israel appreciated the efforts of the world to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Israel ‘cannot forfeit our security to other nations…not even to our closest allies.’”

The Bible foretells that ultimately, no one will be helping the state of Israel.

Pork Found in Elk Lasagna

BBC wrote on April 6:

“Ikea has confirmed it has withdrawn nearly 18,000 of its elk meat lasagnas from sale in Europe after they were found to contain pork. The Swedish furniture giant said sales were stopped in late March, and tests confirmed the contamination on Friday… It is the latest in a series of meat contamination scandals across Europe.

“Ikea was among several companies whose meat products were found to contain horsemeat. Earlier this year it withdrew its meatballs from sale in its restaurants and grocery departments. The European elk is known in north America as a moose.”

Is there any clean food left to eat?

Previously, we covered the first six revivals of the ancient Roman Empire, after its demise. The sixth revival under Otto the Great occurred about 962 A.D., but it too would come to an end. It would take more than 450 years after Otto’s death, before the next revival of the ancient Roman Empire would occur.

The Seventh Revival under Charles V of Habsburg

Charles V of Habsburg was crowned in 1530 A.D. by pope Clement VII as Holy Roman Emperor, and Germany could speak again “with its former authority in Europe,” as it had done under Otto the Great. According to P.M. History, Charles V ruled over an empire which never saw the setting of the sun. The Book, “The Living World of History” states:

“Charles V., who was crowned in [1530], dominated Europe… His grandfather, the Emperor Maximilian, had gained the Netherlands by marrying the heiress Mary of Burgundy. His father, Philip the Handsome, had espoused Joanna… [the] future heiress of Spain, the kingdom of Naples (embracing southern Italy) and Sicily and the growing Spanish dominions in the recently discovered New World. And the Habsburg family inheritance included Austria and other districts, as well as the imperial crown of Germany. Such was the colossal empire that Charles possessed when, at the age of twenty, he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in [1530]… [But] when the Pope was intriguing… against Charles, his… troops sacked Rome and imprisoned the Pope…”

What this shows is that the relationship between the Catholic Church and the State was not always without problems, since both sides wanted to have dominion over the other party. In Charles’ case, “peace” was established again between Church and State. The afore-mentioned book continues:

“The advancing Turks (who had captured Constantinople in 1453) were a growing menace… Taking the field in person, he drove the Moslems back in Hungary and in 1535 [he] was acclaimed as the shining champion of Christendom when he captured Tunis in North Africa… After forty years of sovereignty… [he] abdicated the imperial throne in favour of his brother Ferdinand and retired to a Spanish monastery where, in 1558, he died. Ferdinand… received the Habsburg Austrian inheritance; Charles’s son Philipp II got the rest. So the great Habsburg empire fell into two parts, the Austrian and the Spanish…”

The collaboration between the pope and Charles V is also seen in the following example, as stated in the above-mentioned work, when dealing with the Reformation:

“In the sixteenth century, Western Europe, despite all its political and religious quarrels, had been united for a thousand years on a fundamental matter… the West was a single Christian community acknowledging the spiritual authority of the Pope… in 1520, the Pope issued a bull, or decree, of excommunication against [Martin Luther]. Luther’s reply was to burn it. Next year the pope called on Charles V to suppress him. Luther, refusing to retract his words, was outlawed.”

Here we see how in the past, the Church would excommunicate someone or call him “anathema”, and the State would come in to prosecute or outlaw such a person. Similar events are going to happen in the near future.

The book, “Kingdoms of Europe,” adds the following:

“In 1556 Charles V divided his realms with his son, Philip II of Spain, and his younger brother, Ferdinand, who succeeded him as Holy Roman emperor in 1558. Until the dissolution in 1806 of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, as the loose German confederation came to be called, the Austrian Habsburgs were concerned with internal German affairs and with the problems raised by the Reformation, the rising power of France, the almost constant Turkish threat, and the necessity for reorganizing and developing an administrative system for their territories. Austria itself was merely a headquarters for their activities. Usually a Habsburg was chosen Holy Roman emperor by the electors of the empire.”

However, the Habsburg empire after Charles V was in name only a continuance of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. For all practical purposes, its power diminished constantly after Charles V, until it only had a shadowy existence.

The above-mentioned work continues:

“The Habsburgs opposed the Reformation and made every attempt to destroy it; in the territory of Austria they were almost completely successful in preventing the new movement from gaining a foothold… Internally… the Habsburgs consolidated their rule and reestablished the supremacy of the Roman Catholic church…”

Even though the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation endured officially until 1806 when the last Habsburg emperor abdicated, it had long before ceased to exist as the seventh revival of the ancient Roman Empire. Another revival was to occur instead—the eighth revival under Napoleon Bonaparte.

The Eighth Revival under Napoleon

Many believe erroneously that Napoleon was French. However, this was really not the case.

In “Living World of History,” we read:

“It was only by chance that France’s greatest military genius was a Frenchman at all. Corsica, where he was born in 1769, had only been acquired by France from Genoa the year before. Actually Napoleon was the second son of a poor Corsican lawyer of noble and, probably, Italian decent… [Napoleon’s] whole career was to blaze him forth as a superman… He could work or ride for hours on end. Food and sleep seemed unnecessary to him. His ambitions, like his vanity and selfishness, were boundless. No moral scruples restrained him. No man must stand in his way… In 1804… Napoleon attained the glory of being crowned Emperor of the French.”

The work, “Kingdoms of Europe,” elaborates:

“… on December 2, 1804, he was crowned in Notre Dame in great splendor. The pope was present, but Bonaparte placed the crown on his own head [apparently with the prior consent of the pope, according to P.M. History]… and he gave his soldiers eagle standards, in memory of the old Roman Empire… [Subsequently] Napoleon’s desire was fulfilled, His new wife presented him with a little son to perpetuate his imperial line, and the boy was promptly crowned king of Rome… in 1814… the French Senate, which Napoleon himself had created merely to register the laws, sent notice to him that it had deposed him from the rank as emperor.”

In their tongue-in-cheek article, “Good that there was Napoleon,” PM wrote:

“In 1804 he crowned himself in the presence of the Roman pope as emperor of the French… by the grace of God and the will of the nation, out of his own will as Caesar, and anointed by the church as Charlemagne… He appeased the Catholics with a concordat… not only the French, but also more and more Europeans saw the empire of Napoleon I as the continuation of the Roman Empire such as the Empire of the Franks had been. Even and especially Germans supported and accepted the French Emperor (who deposed the German Emperor), including Karl Theodor von Dalberg of Mainz, the arch chancellor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation… Soon, the new empire reached until the river Elbe—as had been the case under Charlemagne.”

P.M. History states that Napoleon believed to be Charlemagne—perhaps his reincarnation. He wrote in 1806: “Je suis Charlemagne” (“I am Charlemagne”). The magazine also states that three months before his coronation as Emperor, Napoleon travelled to Aachen to visit Charlemagne’s tomb and to pay homage to him.

Will and Ariel Durant, “The Story of Civilization—The Age of Napoleon,” point out the following:

“But he also thought, and often spoke, of Charlemagne, who, in a reign of forty-six years (768-814), had brought order and prosperity… and had won—or commanded—consecration by a Pope; had not he, Napoleon, done all these things? Had he not restored in France the religion that was checking the pagan riot let loose by the Revolution? Did he not, like Charlemagne, deserve the crown for life?…

“By 1801, it was generally agreed that the Holy Roman Empire, as Voltaire had said, was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire; that no important state recognized its authority, or the authority of the pope; that some new form of order and cooperation amid the chaos would have to be devised, accepted, or imposed. Napoleon accepted the challenge…

“On August 6 [1806] Francis officially declared the Holy Roman Empire dissolved, and renounced the Imperial title, remaining emperor of Austria. The glory of the Hapsburgs faded, and a new Charlemagne, ruling from France, assumed authority over western Germany” (pp. 193, 588, 590).

The following is stated in “The History of Europe and the Church” (Worldwide Church of God, ed. 1984):

“In 1799 the young hero returns from an expedition against the English in Egypt. He seizes power in a bold move, setting up a new government of three members. Borrowing a title from ancient Rome, he calls them consuls. He himself is First Consul—a virtual dictator at age 30… He dreams of being another Caesar… Napoleon dreams of a resurrected Roman-European civilization dominated by France… ‘ The influence of Rome is incalculable,’ he declares. ‘It was a serious error to break with this power’… In 1801 a concordat… is concluded between France and the Papacy.

“The Catholic Church again becomes the official church of France [His nephew, Napoleon III –some claim that he was Napoleon’s illegitimate son–would continue in the tradition of close collaboration between the French state and the pope, rescuing and assisting him against Italian revolutionists, such as Garibaldi.]… [After his coronation through the pope in 1804] Napoleon crowns himself again [in 1806], this time with the celebrated ‘iron crown’ of Lombardy. One of the great historic symbols of Europe, this crown had previously been worn by Charlemagne, Otto the Great and other European sovereigns…”

Historical books will tell you that the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist in 1806. They fail to mention that this was just the shadowy existence of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, under the Habsburgs, but that in the meantime, Napoleon had already revived the Holy Roman Empire, but under French leadership.

The above-mentioned booklet explains:

“… it becomes clear that the Austrian-led Holy Roman Empire is dead. Napoleon… has usurped the Holy Roman Emperor’s primacy among European monarchs… On August 6, 1806, Holy Roman Emperor Francis II formally resigns his title and divests himself of the imperial crown… Technically, Napoleon has swept away the moribund Holy Roman Empire… but he perpetuates it, under a different name, for another eight years…

“In April 1810 Napoleon marries Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria… [She] is a Habsburg princess, the eldest daughter of the last Holy Roman emperor… In March 1811 she bears Napoleon a long-desired son, who is given the title ‘King of Rome.’ … With the fall of Napoleon in 1814, the time-honored system of Roman-inspired government first resurrected by Justinian in A.D. 554 comes to an end after 1,260 years.”

The empire of Napoleon constituted indeed another revival of the ancient Roman Empire—in size and also in tradition. As mentioned, Napoleon wanted to be another Charlemagne and apparently believed that he was (the reincarnation of ) Charlemagne. (As we will see, Hitler seemed to have believed something similar). But Napoleon’s empire fell apart in 1814. Another revival was to occur in due time.

(To Be Continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

New StandingWatch programs along with one for AufPostenStehen have been recorded by Evangelist Norbert Link–here are titles and summaries:

“America and Germany in Prophecy“: What are the signs for Christ’s return? Are the developments in America and the Middle East, as well as in Germany and Europe, of any biblical importance? What did President Obama’s visit in the Middle East really show, and why should we take great note of the events pertaining to Cyprus? Will you be unprepared when terrible events strike the earth?

“Deutschland und Amerika in der Prophezeiung” is the title of the German language version of this program available for viewing at.

“Margaret Thatcher’s Unique Legacy”: Margaret Thatcher died on April 8, 2013. She was the greatest British leader since Winston Churchill. She was able to restore Britain to temporary greatness. But after her resignation as Prime Minister, Britain returned to its path of steady decline, and no leader has risen since then who would have been able to reverse the trend… nor will there be any such leader prior to Christ’s return. What DOES the Bible say about the future of the UK?

“Jesus Christus, der Menschensohn!,” is the title of a new German sermon, which deals with Christ’s first coming as the Son of man. “Jesus Christ, the Son of Man!,”  is the English translation, and this is part of a series. The next installment will discuss Jesus as the Son of God and also address the false doctrine of the Trinity.

A new English sermon from last week’s Sabbath services has been posted, titled, “Vengeance and Revenge.”

The yearly conference of the Church of the Eternal God, Global Church of God (Great Britain) and Church of God a Christian Fellowship (Canada) will be conducted starting April 12 and continuing through April 16. Meetings and activities will be held in Fort Collins, Colorado.