On December 25, 2010, Dave Harris will give the sermon, titled, “The Life We Now Live.”

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.

It is amazing how clever Satan is when he wants true Christians to start compromising with any of God’s laws or statutes. He is very astute in facilitating convincing “justifications” in one’s mind. Take for example the doctrinal changes in the Worldwide Church of God, to which many true Christians belonged at one time. Did the new administration, which took over after the former human leader’s death, boldly come out and admit that they wanted to do away with the Sabbath, the Holy Days, tithing, or the distinction between clean and unclean meats? No; rather, they started by “adjusting” what seemed to be unimportant or insignificant teachings to some–for instance, whether or not we are already born again in this life; whether we need to proclaim the gospel of Christ or just about Christ; or whether God is a Family or just has a Family.

In their booklet “God Is,” they gradually abolished the true understanding that the Holy Spirit is not God or a person of the Godhead, but rather the power of God the Father and Jesus Christ, enabling them to create and accomplish things both in the spiritual and physical realm. First, they used the Greek word “hypostasis” for God, saying that God consists of three “hypostases.” The adoption of this philosophical term was just the first step in reaching the point of teaching the wrong orthodox doctrine of the Trinity.  “Hypostasis” was not “supposed” to convey the meaning of a Person—just a mode of being—but in the third printing of their booklet, the word “hypostasis” was substituted with the word “person.” Now they had fully embraced the pagan belief of the Trinity—“God being One Person in Three Persons”–something which they had apparently planned to do from the outset.

These changes were introduced subtly. Unfortunately, many were fooled and deceived, and like the proverbial dead fish or the dumb sheep, they were floating along with the changes and followed the false shepherds to the slaughter. Soon, all flood gates were open and now, one would not recognize as biblically correct most, if not all of the teachings of today’s Worldwide Church of God, since their changed beliefs are based on pagan traditions and superstitions, rather than the Bible.

What Satan was looking for was the proverbial chink in the armor–the one weak spot which makes a soldier vulnerable on the battlefield. For instance, the area around the shoulder is such a weak spot. Overlaps in the armor allowed for movements of the arms, but a good archer could successfully shoot an arrow into the unprotected area. The inflicted wounds were usually not fatal, but they rendered a fighting soldier ineffective for battle and if not tended to, he could bleed to death, if the arrow had pierced an artery.

In 2003, while attending the Feast of Tabernacles in England, my wife and I visited Warwick Castle. We noticed an archer on the pathway up to the castle. He was shooting arrows at a stuffed target, which had the form of a man. The target was some sixty to seventy feet away, but the archer shot the arrows with an amazing degree of accuracy. He explained that in the ancient English army bowmen were trained from the age of six or seven years old. By the age of adulthood, they had become very accurate in shooting arrows into the unprotected spots of enemy soldiers. Because of their intensive training, they could cause a lot of injuries in battle, and they could even help the defeat of their enemy in times of war.

Satan is highly skilled in the “art” of warfare. He is a powerful archer, who is able to shoot his arrows precisely into whatever small chink in our armor he might detect. It is very important that we are completely and thoroughly protected by the whole armor of God (compare Ephesians 6:10-17).

Satan is very subtle, as Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11: “Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

The church at the time of Paul was aware of Satan’s devices, understanding that one of them was compromise. Compromise usually starts in small areas–with little white lies and with becoming less diligent than one ought to be, for instance in the area of tithing faithfully, promptly and properly, or starting to engage in improper entertainment or do some “chores” on the Sabbath. These might be looked upon as “small” leaks in a dam, but they can cause insurmountable damage and may jeopardize one’s very salvation.

Compromise is like a small spark. Unless it is extinguished right away, it may develop into a roaring and destructive fire, which might soon be burning out of control. The Worldwide Church of God started their doctrinal apostasy with seemingly small insignificant “semantic” changes—but in fact, Satan had begun to shoot his arrows into unprotected areas of many of God’s people. We must never think that something similar could not happen today again.

Unless we repent of any wrong course of action and change our way of thinking, the slippery slope of compromise will ultimately lead to our demise. We must take due diligence to ensure that we are not caught up in compromise and that our spiritual armor has no chinks, so that Satan’s arrows cannot cause us any spiritual injury.

In this issue, we report on worldwide “crazy” weather conditions; President Obama’s “dangerous strategy” regarding WikiLeaks; the repeal of America’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy; and the U.S. ratification of the START treaty with Russia.

While many U.S. cities and some states are facing the distinct possibility of having to declare bankruptcy, Europe is battling with its own financial problems.

However, it is felt that the EU is not facing the same grim prospects as the USA, and while it is grudgingly admitted that Europe needs Germany, Germany and France block Bulgaria and Romania from joining Europe’s Schengen area; Britain is becoming more and more the “odd man out”; and the unpopular and lost Afghan war continues to receive negative media coverage in Germany.

A surprisingly strong stance by Germany’s parliamentary leader, pertaining to the right of homosexuals to adopt children, is angering liberals, and Britain is setting a dangerous precedence of persecuting Christians who happen to disagree with the homosexual lifestyle.

We are focusing on the terrible dictatorship in Belarus; the unsettling developments in the Middle East; and the endeavors of Europe’s far right to fight Islam. We are reporting on Japan’s dynamic defense policy; on frightening “advances” in the name of science; and on the Catholic Church’s wrong policy regarding the use of condoms.

We conclude with articles on the deadly time of Christmas and the misunderstood origins of that festival.

Our Crazy Weather

The Associated Press wrote on December 19:

“Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter million people in 2010 – the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined…

“And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say. Even though many catastrophes have the ring of random chance, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and weird year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes. Poor construction and development practices conspire to make earthquakes more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable buildings in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes, the river breaches, or the tropical cyclone hits, more people die…

“[Some scientists say] the world’s population is moving into riskier megacities on fault zones and flood-prone areas [and] that 400 million to 500 million people in the world live in large cities prone to major earthquakes. A Haitian disaster will happen again, [some say]: ‘It could be Algiers. it could be Tehran. It could be any one of a dozen cities.’”

Coldest Winter for Britain Since at Least 1910

The Daily Mail reported on December 20:

“The Arctic conditions are set to last through the Christmas and New Year bank holidays and beyond, and as temperatures plummeted to -10c (14f) the Met Office said this December was ‘almost certain’ to become the coldest since records began in 1910.”

Chaos in Europe

The Associated Press reported on December 20:

“Snow and freezing temperatures continued to cause holiday travel chaos for road, rail and air passengers in Britain and much of Europe… Airlines said that Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, was the worst hit by the poor weather — with only a limited number of flights to arrive and depart. Hundreds of passengers camped overnight in terminal buildings after services were canceled or delayed… Eurostar reported that its trains linking England to France and Belgium were also severely delayed or canceled and urged travelers to cancel or postpone their trips if possible…

“In Germany flight operations were slowed even though Frankfurt airport, Germany’s biggest, was clear of snow and ice. Officials canceled about 300 flights there Monday… because of problems elsewhere in Europe… French civil aviation authorities, meanwhile, asked airlines to reduce their flights at the two main Paris airports by 30%…”

“Drought-Plagued California Copes with Near-Record Rainfall”

USA Today wrote on December 22:

“A powerful storm dumped more rain on already waterlogged Southern California on Wednesday, washing hillsides onto highways, endangering houses in canyons and forcing rescuers to pluck dozens of motorists from flooded streets… Floodwaters washed away homes in Arizona and inundated parts of Nevada and Utah…
 
“In Southern California, the burst of heavy rain in the morning left streets flooded and caused minor mudslides. The threat, however, of larger mudslides could last for weeks in the suburban Los Angeles canyon hillsides laid bare by wildfires… Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in six counties… In southern Nevada, a state of emergency was ordered after rain-swollen creeks closed some roads in the Las Vegas area and snow disrupted electricity…”

Obama’s Dangerous Strategy

The Guardian wrote on December 17:

“President Obama has decided to pursue a dangerous strategy that could cause irreparable harm to freedom of the press as we know it… Attorney General Eric Holder is investigating the possibility of prosecuting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in connection with the 250,000 diplomatic cables stolen – according to the government – by army private Bradley Manning.

“By longstanding first amendment tradition, third parties such as news organisations — even an unconventional one like WikiLeaks — are not prosecuted for publishing leaked material, even if the person who gave it to them broke the law. So, Holder is working on the theory that WikiLeaks ‘colluded’ with Manning, acting not as a passive recipient, but as an active participant in persuading Manning to give up the goods.

“The problem is that there is no meaningful distinction to be made. How did the Guardian, equally, not ‘collude’ with WikiLeaks in obtaining the cables? How did the New York Times not ‘collude’ with the Guardian when the Guardian gave the Times a copy following Assange’s decision to cut the Times out of the latest document dump?… For that matter, I don’t see how any news organisation can be said not to have colluded with a source when it receives leaked documents.

“The Obama-Holder wrinkle is to attempt to draw distinctions between WikiLeaks and the traditional media. It can’t be done… attempts to separate the Times and the Guardian, on the one hand, and WikiLeaks, on the other, should be seen as entirely political. Presumably, dragging a handcuffed-and-shackled Assange into federal court would prove quite popular. By contrast, sentencing Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger to a long stint in a federal penitentiary would likely prove too much, even though senator Joe Lieberman, an occasionally moderate former Democrat, has suggested that the Times could be prosecuted.

“…the White House’s legal war against WikiLeaks is a shameful assault on our guarantee of free speech and a free press. It’s ironic that after two years of bogus claims from the right that Obama is dismantling the constitution, now that he really is, the only people who seem to care are on the left.”

U.S. “Overclassification” Made Assange Relevant

The Washington Post wrote on December 18:

“… prosecuting Assange would give him exactly what he wants: proof that America is hypocritical, that we don’t live by the freedoms we preach. Assange would like nothing more than to be a martyr – and President Obama shouldn’t give that to him. The better way to deal with Assange is to make him irrelevant. The only reason WikiLeaks has been a sensation is the absurd secrecy of the Obama administration, in some ways worse than that of George W. Bush…

“The episode spotlighted Obama’s surprisingly poor record on government openness. The administration has already undertaken four prosecutions of government leakers, more than any predecessor, in some cases using the arcane, World War I-era Espionage Act. At the same time, the administration stymied efforts in Congress to pass a ‘shield law’ to protect journalists’ confidential sources…

“Over-classification is so prevalent that even the Pentagon Papers – leaked by Daniel Ellsberg nearly four decades ago – are still classified as Top Secret. Thomas Blanton of the National Security Archive at George Washington University said that between 50 percent and 90 percent of classified material shouldn’t be; the result is ‘vast prairies’ of phony government secrets that are impossible to protect.

“It achieves little to punish Assange for trespassing on the prairie, either by prosecuting him (as Sen. Dianne Feinstein and other Democrats suggest) or hunting him like a terrorist (as Sarah Palin would have it). Instead, end the obsessive classification that made Assange possible – and deny him the martyrdom he desires.”

“Helmut Schmidt Slams ‘Foolish’ U.S. Pursuit of Wikileaks”

The Local wrote on December 21:

“Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt has blasted as ‘foolish’ the United States’ pursuit of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. ‘That seems like revenge and it is,’ Schmidt told weekly Die Zeit’s magazine in an interview… Schmidt, who served as West German chancellor from 1974 to 1982, frequently weighs in on topical issues despite having reached the advanced age of 91…

“Schmidt said there was a ‘moral obligation for the publication’ of secret documents that exposed abuses at prisons such as Abu Ghraib or Guantánamo Bay, but questioned whether secret diplomatic communications should be released… For the US government, the publication of the cables was ‘a terrible thing, which will affect diplomatic relations for a long time.’”

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” No More

Time Magazine wrote on December 22:

“President Obama… signed the law allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the U.S. military. ‘This morning I am proud to sign a law bringing an end to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,”’ he said. No one should have to ‘sacrifice their integrity’ to wear the uniform of the U.S. armed forces, he said…

“The Pentagon itself is basking in public approval, which isn’t something it always gets… The papers praising the step are not just from the reliably Democratic northeast – journals from more conservative precincts… all have hailed the move… the unanimity, so far anyway, is surprising.”

The President’s words, the action of the House and the Senate, and newspaper unanimity is indecisive as to whether a matter is right or wrong. What really should count is God’s point of view. And the Bible makes that one very clear.

US Senate Approves Nuclear Arms Pact With Russia

BBC News reported on December 22:

“The US president has welcomed the US Senate’s ratification of a much-delayed nuclear arms treaty with Russia. Barack Obama said the agreement, which will pave the way for new cuts in American and Russian nuclear arsenals, was the most important such deal in almost 20 years. After months of wrangling in the Senate, the New Start treaty was passed by a vote of 71 to 26. Under the deal, Russia and the US will cut deployed nuclear warheads by 30%…

“Despite lengthy protests from a number of congressional Republicans, 13 Republican Senators voted with the Democrats during Wednesday’s vote… The treaty must still pass Russia’s parliament, a move expected next spring.

“The New Start treaty, which will replace its lapsed predecessor, Start (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), was signed by Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, President Dmitry Medvedev, in April 2010. It trims US and Russian nuclear arsenals to 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads… The treaty would also allow each side visually to inspect the other’s nuclear capability, with the aim of verifying how many warheads each missile carries.

“In addition, there will be legally binding limits on the number of warheads and missiles that can be deployed on land, on submarines, and on bombers, at any one time… senior Republicans… argued that the treaty could compromise US national security, handing Russia influence over American missile defence strategy.”

America’s attempts to buy allies—called “lovers” in the Bible—is doomed. The Bible clearly says that these lovers will turn against the USA and whatever treaties have been signed, will be broken (as the USA has signed and shamefully broken treaty after treaty with the “Native Americans” or “American Indians”).

Still Plenty to Destroy the World

BBC News wrote on December 22:

“Nobody pretends that the so-called ‘New Start’ treaty is going to save the world from the nuclear threat. It will reduce deployed warheads from 2,200 to 1,550 on each side – still plenty to destroy the world… Tactical Nuclear Weapons [or] short-range weapons emerged as a serious issue during the New Start debate, with opponents of the treaty complaining that it does not deal with them. The US revealed last year that it had 5,113 nuclear weapons in total, of which about half are estimated to be tactical. Russia has about the same.

“One problem is that if each side agrees to store them at home, Russia could deploy them in any war in Europe much more quickly. A ‘world without nuclear weapons’ is a long way off.”

“Obama Biggest Loser of 2010”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 23:

“After months of stalling, the US Senate has finally approved the New START disarmament treaty with Russia. The ratification is a major triumph for US President Barack Obama, but German commentators warn that it may be the last such success for a long time…

“SPIEGEL’s Washington correspondent Marc Hujer writes…: ‘Barack Obama was the biggest loser of 2010. He allowed the angry Tea Party movement to grow powerful, he did not pass any decent laws despite his majority in Congress and he was aloof, elitist and indecisive. He had to accept a formidable, yet entirely understandable, defeat in the midterm elections as a result. No one expected much from Obama, at least not during the rest of this year.

“‘Now, just days before Christmas, Congress has ratified the New START disarmament treaty with Russia. … Will Obama build on this victory? Is it Obama’s breakthrough as a president? Will it mark his comeback as a reformer? … Is a new era of cooperation beginning? The opposite is much more probable, namely that the disarmament treaty will be Obama’s last significant achievement for a long time. In January, the new Congress will convene. The new representatives who won in the midterm elections will come to Washington, including those Tea Party activists who have little interest in making compromises with Obama…’”

US Cities and States Could File for Bankruptcy

The Guardian wrote on December 20:

“More than 100 American cities could go bust next year as the debt crisis that has taken down banks and countries threatens next to spark a municipal meltdown… American cities and states have debts in total of as much as $2tn… US states have spent nearly half a trillion dollars more than they have collected in taxes, and face a $1tn hole in their pension funds…

“Detroit is cutting police, lighting, road repairs and cleaning services, affecting as much as 20% of the population. The city, which has been on the skids for almost two decades with the decline of the US auto industry, does not generate enough wealth to maintain services for its 900,000 inhabitants. The nearby state of Illinois has spent twice as much money as it has collected and is about six months behind on creditor payments. The University of Illinois alone is owed $400m…

“California has raised state university tuition fees by 32%. Arizona has sold its state capitol and supreme court buildings to investors, and leases them back. Potential defaults could also hit Florida…”

Europe’s Dependency on USA “Pathetic”

The EUObserver wrote on December 16:

“Europe’s willingness to take directions from other world powers is ‘pitiful’ and ‘pathetic,’ China’s top man in Brussels has said. The remarks come as leaked diplomatic cables show the US lobbied hard to prevent the EU from ending its arms embargo on China.”

Europe Needs Germany

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 20:

“Germany’s controversial approach to fighting the euro crisis has split the European Union. Some countries are complaining about Berlin’s rigid course, while others accuse Chancellor Merkel of betraying the European project. The only thing they can agree on is that the EU needs Germany as a motor if it is to survive…

“… the Germans… dominated the stage politically in Brussels, once again. The 26 other heads of state and government gave in to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s demand to amend the EU’s Lisbon Treaty to include a permanent crisis fund, known as the stability mechanism, for the euro zone starting in 2013. Also at the chancellor’s request, they inserted a passage stating that the stability mechanism is only ‘to be activated if indispensable to safeguard the stability of the euro area as a whole.’ The group also approved Germany’s demand that private lenders be involved in the event of a government bankruptcy.

“’We came to an agreement,’ a clearly pleased Merkel announced. ‘It was a good day for Europe.’ The other summit participants had no choice but to make similar statements… In Rome, Merkel has long been seen as a chancellor who can do everything Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cannot. She is seen as credible and honest… But since Germany began going it alone in the EU, Merkel seems to have become sinister and even a threat to the Italians. Suddenly she is being viewed, once again, as the ‘iron chancellor,’ the moral watchdog.”

“Berlin Blocks Bulgaria, Romania from Schengen”

The Local wrote on December 21:

“France and Germany decided Tuesday to block Bulgaria and Romania from joining Europe’s borderless 25-nation Schengen area next year, a move denounced by the Romanian president as discriminatory… The Schengen area allows more than 400 million citizens to travel across a territory that ranges from Greece to Finland, and Portugal to Poland, without having to pull out a passport. The area includes 22 of the European Union’s 27 members plus Iceland, Switzerland and Norway.

“Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007. By choice, EU members Britain and Ireland have not joined the travel zone while Cyprus has applied to enter Schengen… Allowing a country to join Schengen must be agreed by member states by unanimity, meaning that France and Germany have veto power over the applications. The decision to block the entry of Romania and Bulgaria follows a summer row over France’s deportation of Roma migrants from the two eastern European nations, although the issue was not cited as a reason for the Schengen veto.”

Britain’s Isolation

The Economist wrote on December 17:

“Increasingly, these days, Britain seems to be attending a different summit from other countries. Most leaders went to Brussels in the hope of demonstrating unity and determination in safeguarding the euro; Mr Cameron made the trip to safeguard the British (and, he says, the European) taxpayer… the British move was mis-timed and discordant. Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, was irritated by the British move at a time when she wanted European leaders to rally in defence of the euro.

“There is a distinct detachment about Britain and the burning questions of Europe. Partly it is circumstance: the crisis is raging in the euro zone, and Britain is not a member of it. But partly it is also a matter of choice: Mr Cameron seems most comfortable sitting on the sidelines. This attitude that is much different from that of, say, Sweden, a non-euro country that is nevertheless strongly involved in every aspect of the debate about the euro.

“The crisis is slowly creating a two-speed Europe: a more integrated euro core, with a looser fringe that Britain is happy to inhabit.”

Maybe Britain won’t be that happy for long, after all. In fact, what we are seeing now is the beginning of the prophesied fact that Britain will end up as being totally isolated in Europe.

The Afghan War Debacle

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 20:

“During a surprise weekend visit to Afghanistan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel finally called the conflict a war… While Merkel praised the troops, the Afghanistan mission continued to spark political crossfire at home. Germans have long been critical of their troops in Afghanistan, which make up the third-largest NATO contingent in the country…

“The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes: ‘In January, German parliament will extend the Afghanistan mandate by another year… In the year 2011 we will only agree to support a corrupt government which gained power through electoral fraud, which sees economic growth purely in relation [to] its own foreign accounts and which shows no ambition to reform Afghanistan’s archaic social structures. It is at least honest that the chancellor, in her own convoluted way, called the war a war. But her sentence is only half of the truth. The rest is: We can only lose this war.”

“The left-leaning Frankfurter Rundschau writes:  ‘Angela Merkel calls (war) what it is to make the subject a firm fixture in the consciousness of German people. In reality she produces a headline without any content… She does with words what her defense minister did with television pictures last week. All of that does not bring us forward, at least not towards peace.’”

No Children for Homosexual Couples

The Local reported on December 20:

“Volker Kauder, the parliamentary leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats, said on Monday that homosexual couples had no right to have children. ‘This has to be accepted, even if it’s difficult for those affected,’ Kauder [said]. ‘I don’t think children wish to be raised by homosexual couples.’ He said the question of children’s well-being should come before the desires of adults to become parents…

“Germany introduced ‘registered partnerships’ for same-sex couples in 2001, but stopped short of granting them the full rights and privileges afforded to married heterosexual couples. Homosexuals can legally adopt the children of their partners, but adopting an unrelated child as a couple is not currently allowed… Kauder’s most recent comments highlight the ongoing discrepancy between the Christian Democrats and their junior coalition partners the Free Democrats on gay issues.”

Guido Westerwelle, Germany’s Foreign Minister and Leader of the FDP, is openly homosexual. Volker Kauder’s comments do surprise, however, as it has become extremely politically incorrect in Europe (and more and more in the USA) to say anything about or relating to homosexuals which could be remotely construed as criticism or “discrimination.”  To emphasize this point, please read the next article.

Religious Persecution in Britain (and Soon in the USA?)

WorldNetDaily wrote on December 20:

“Telling a street preacher that it is against the law to affirm the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality is costing a team of British police officers some $11,000 – plus legal fees. That was the resolution announced by The Christian Institute in a case that it fought on behalf of a street preacher, Dale Mcalpine, who was arrested and detained for nearly eight hours on the basis of the officers’ decision that the Bible’s teachings violated the law…

“Mike Judge, spokesman for the institute, which fights on behalf of Christian and human rights in the United Kingdom, said [that] ‘Mr. Mcalpine was arrested and held in a cell for expressing his Christian views… Sadly, it’s not an isolated case. We have defended a number of Christians wrongfully arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act. There is a problem with the law and it needs to be fixed.’…

“The U.K.’s Public Order Act includes language that is similar to Barack Obama’s ‘hate crimes’ law in the U.S. that he signed more than a year ago in that they ban some statements regarding homosexuality. That bill became law over the objections of a multitude of Christian organizations who say it grants special protections to those who choose a homosexual lifestyle, creating a form of ‘thought police’ in the United States…

“In one U.S. situation, a street preacher’s toe apparently brushed the grass of private property and he was arrested, and in Oslo, authorities have tried to shut down those who would share their Christian [beliefs] in public. At the time the case developed, Liberty Counsel Cultural Affairs Analyst Matt Barber raised the warning that such cases will be seen more and more in America, too.

“’We know that what’s happening in Europe and what’s happening in Canada offers us a window into the future of what will happen here in the United States,’ he said. ‘The hate crimes laws and employment sexual orientation laws such as ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act here in the United States, have been the precursor to the more oppressive hate speech laws,’ Barber explained. ‘Make no mistake, those laws we have now for hate crimes and the more present danger with ENDA, these laws are the precursor in the U. S. for the same kind of criminalization of Christianity that’s happening in the U. K.,’ Barber said…

“Barber added that the goal of the radical homosexual lobby is to silence Christians. ‘Their goal is to silence any dissent and to silence under any penalty of law the biblical recognition and expression of a traditional Judeo-Christian world view relative to sexual behavior and sexual morality,’ Barber said.”

Belarus—Europe’s “Last Soviet-Style Dictatorship”

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 20:

“Officially, Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko [formerly part of the Soviet Union] won re-election with almost 80 percent of the vote on Sunday… Throughout Sunday night and into the early hours of Monday morning, security forces went after both opposition activists and critical journalists who denounced the elections as fraudulent. Demonstrators were beaten and at least four of the nine candidates who ran against Lukashenko were arrested. Police took hundreds of protesters into custody…

“… the violence with which the regime confronted protestors will likely have consequences for relations between Belarus and the European Union. The EU recently pledged €3.5 billion ($4.6 billion) in aid for the country.

“… police and members of the Belarus intelligence service, known as the KGB, began beating the crowd with batons. [Presidential candidate] Neklyayev was seriously injured and lost consciousness. Despite the police brutality, however, over 10,000 Lukashenko opponents gathered in the capital to protest what they saw as election fraud…

“The US Embassy in Minsk said that Washington was ‘especially concerned over excessive use of force by the authorities, including the beating and detention of several presidential candidates’… German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said ‘it is unacceptable to harass, beat or arrest opposition candidates and their supporters who want to exert their right to freedom of expression.’ Poland demanded the immediate release of opposition candidates and European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek was scathing in his critique: ‘This cowardly attack on defenseless presidential candidates is horrifying and scandalous.’

“Belarus is seen as the last Soviet-style dictatorship in Europe… dozens of demonstrators were heavily beaten, including presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov. Sannikov was reportedly taken into custody on the way to the hospital. His wife, who works as a reporter for the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, told the radio station Echo Moscow that her husband had been ‘struck several times in the face.’ Aides to injured presidential candidate Neklyayev reported that he was abducted by several men in civilian clothing shortly after arriving at hospital with serious head wounds.

“At 4:20 on Monday morning, special forces broke down the door of the offices of the opposition website Charter 97. Editor in Chief Natalia Radina only had time for one final bit of news. ‘We are all at the KGB,’ she wrote.”

These incredible totalitarian and criminal methods remind us of another dictator who ruled Russia not too long ago—Josef Stalin. And they remind us of Adolf Hitler who terrorized Germany and who was responsible for the outbreak of World War II. It shows how easy it is for dictators to abuse power when they think they have the capability to do so, and that others won’t object to their evil deeds.

Dictators Never Change

Der Spiegel Online wrote on December 21:

“The Western outcry has been loud but feckless, the Russian response purse-lipped (‘an internal matter,’ said President Dmitry Medvedev) — and Lukashenko is unrepentant. On Tuesday a Belarusian court issued blanket 15-day jail sentences to over 600 protestors arrested by police on Sunday. They face up to 15 years in prison, should they be convicted of inciting violence. It was an implicit snub to the European Union, which had made overtures to Belarus ahead of the election and afterwards demanded freedom for the candidates and journalists…

“There has been little progress toward democratic reform during President Aleksander Lukashenko’s 16 years in office. Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice famously called him ‘Europe’s last dictator,’ and the nickname stuck. His close relationship with Moscow — like Belarus’ state-run economy — depends on cheap oil and gas.”

The Financial Times Deutschland wrote on December 22:

“The misdeeds under Lukashenko aren’t new. What is new is that Germany and its EU partners believed a little fair-weather diplomacy would change everything…”

Die Welt wrote on December 22:

“At some point even the Kremlin found it absurd to be played for such a fool by the president of Belarus. The old idea of a Russian ‘union’ began to sound tuneless. The little Soviet brothers would have to learn for themselves how to survive a frigid winter in the no-man’s land between Russia and Europe… (Western) dream that more democracy would move Belarus further West has not grown likelier with the recent election.

“But why do strong men — in Africa or Asia or, in this case, on the doorstep of the EU — need election majorities hovering near 100 percent? The first West German chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, started his long term in office with a one-vote (parliamentary) majority, and John F. Kennedy proved in his day that a narrow victory is also a victory. The world of potentates is different. On the one hand they give lip service to democracy and allow elections; on the other, they never allow those elections to bring change… But fraud is fraud, and dictatorships never change.”

Palestinian State With or Without American Approval?

The Daily Israel Report wrote on December 19:

“The Palestinian Authority is continuing its drive to unilaterally declare independent statehood next year, with or without a negotiated settlement with Israel. PA spokesman Nabil Shaath continued to lay the public relations groundwork Saturday by telling reporters the peace process with Israel is in a ‘deep coma’ and that U.S. proposals for negotiations are ‘totally useless.’ … Moreover, the PA has also formally requested for the first time that European countries recognize a Palestinian state, should one be declared – even in the absence of a final status agreement with the State of Israel…

“Thus far, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba and Venezuela have formally recognized the PA as a sovereign entity, with Uruguay promising to do so in 2011. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas told reporters that he expects Ecuador to follow with a similar announcement shortly.

“Just three days earlier, Norway had upgraded the status of the PA mission in Oslo from a ‘general delegation’ to a ‘diplomatic mission.’ In addition, the head of the PA mission in the country was granted diplomatic immunity. This follows a similar decision by France in July 2010…

“The U.S. House of Representatives, meanwhile, unanimously approved on Thursday a resolution opposing the unilateral declaration of a new PA country. The resolution called on the Obama administration to ‘deny recognition to any unilaterally declared Palestinian state… Former PA head negotiator Saeb Erekat responded with anger to the reaction by the U.S. Congress…”

Europe’s Far Right vs. Islam

Reuters reported on December 20:

“Far-right political parties in Europe are stepping up their anti-Muslim rhetoric and forging ties across borders, even going so far as to visit Israel to hail the Jewish state as a bulwark against militant Islam.

“National Front leader Marine Le Pen has shocked the French political elite in recent days by comparing Muslims who pray outside crowded mosques — a common sight during the holy month of Ramadan — to the World War Two Nazi occupation. Oskar Freysinger, a champion of the Swiss ban on minarets, warned a far-right meeting in Paris Saturday against ‘the demographic, sociological and psychological Islamization of Europe.’ German and Belgian activists also addressed the crowd.

“Geert Wilders, whose populist far-right party supports the Dutch minority government, told Reuters last week he was organizing an ‘international freedom alliance’ to link grass-roots groups active in ‘the fight against Islam.’

“Earlier this month, Wilders visited Israel and backed its West Bank settlements, saying Palestinians there should move to Jordan. Like-minded German, Austrian, Belgian, Swedish and other far-rightists were on their own Israel tour at the same time. ‘Our culture is based on Christianity, Judaism and humanism and (the Israelis) are fighting our fight,’ Wilders told Reuters in Amsterdam last week…

“Some on the far right see similar trends in the United States. Wilders attended a rally in New York on September 11 to protest against a mosque planned near Ground Zero and the leader of the Austrian Freedom Party, Heinz Christian Strache, has said he wants to visit the United States to meet leaders of the Tea Party movement…

“The Israeli newspaper Haaretz accused the rightists of ‘trading in their Jewish demon-enemy for the Muslim criminal-immigrant model’ and visiting Israel only to get ‘Jewish absolution that will bring them closer to political power.’”

This comment by Haaretz is absolutely right. Demagogues like Wilders, Strache or LePen are doing much more harm than good. Their self-serving attempts to create fear for political gain must be rejected. Their unspecified attempts to woo Israel and to “warn” Europe and now even the USA of “Islamization” is of no value, but could prove to be quite dangerous.

Japan’s Dynamic Defense Policy

RTT News reported on December 17:

“Tokyo has adopted a new ‘dynamic defense capability’ policy which marks a major shift from the existing one that seeks only a minimum defense capability… pronouncements include adopting measures for promoting confidence and co-operation with China and Russia even while expanding engagements with the European Union (EU) and the NATO… it moots enhanced defense ties with the United States, Australia, India and South Korea. The country’s projected defense expenditure over the next five years has been pegged at 23.49 trillion yen ($279 billion).”

Japan’s decision to promote co-operation with China and Russia is remarkable in the light of biblical prophecy which predicts that these and other Far Eastern countries will form an alliance against Europe and the USA.

Dangerous Scientific Games

AFP wrote on December 16:

“The White House… said the controversial field of synthetic biology, or manipulating the DNA of organisms to forge new life forms, poses limited risks and should be allowed to proceed. The panel was created by Obama last year. Its first order of business was to consider the issue of synthetic biology after the J. Craig Venter Institute announced in May it had developed the first self-replicating bacteria cell controlled by a synthetic genome.

“Critics said the discovery was tantamount to ‘playing God,’ creating organisms without adequate understanding [of] the ramifications, and upsetting the natural order… But the commission said Venter’s team had not actually created life, since the work mainly involved altering an already existing life form.”

Still, altering existing life forms could be extremely dangerous, and the consequences are unpredictable. Such scientific advances are just foolish and terribly short-sighted.

Catholic Church’s Wrong Teaching on Condoms Continues

USA Today reported on December 22:

“The Vatican on Tuesday sought to clarify the pope’s controversial comments about condoms and HIV, saying he by no means suggested condom use could be condoned as a means of avoiding pregnancy…

“The Vatican has been under pressure from conservative theologians to issue such a clarification amid widespread confusion about what Pope Benedict XVI meant and whether he was breaking with church teaching.”

“Christmas the Deadliest Day of the Year”

The National Post wrote on December 20:

“A new U.S. analysis of mortality rates during different times of year found that people are more likely to die during the holidays — notably on Christmas and New Year’s Day — and researchers cannot explain the yearly spike. After analyzing all official United States death certificates over the 25-year period between 1979 and 2004, a trio of sociologists identified an excess of 42,325 natural deaths — that is, above and beyond the normal seasonal winter increase — in the two weeks starting with Christmas. More people die in hospital emergency wards, or arrive dead on arrival, on Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day than on any other days of the year.

“’It’s not trivial,’ said Mr. Phillips, a professor of sociology at the University of California at San Diego. ‘We looked at all cause categories and, for nearly every one, we found an excess of deaths — particularly for people who are dying rapidly, like dead-on-arrival or dying in the emergency department.’… Less clear are the reasons behind this fatal phenomenon.”

Could the reasons lie, perhaps, in the fact that all these days listed above (Christmas on December 25, Boxing Day on December 26 and New Year’s Day on January 1) are of Satanic, and not godly origin?

Christ Is Not in Christmas!

USA Today reported on December 20:

“Christmas 2010 is a whole lotta jingle and not so much Jesus. Two new surveys find more than nine in 10 Americans celebrate the holiday — even if they’re atheists, agnostics or believers in non-Christian faiths such as Judaism and Islam… ‘It’s alarming to me that while nine in 10 celebrate Christmas, only six in 10 encourage any belief in the source of Christmas and only three in 10 actually read the story of Christmas,’ [Ed] Stetzer, [president of LifeWay Research] says.

“John Lindell — lead pastor of James River Assembly in Ozark, Mo…  is not as alarmed by the gap. Instead, he sees an open path to outreach. ‘We believers put Christ in Christmas by how we care for others and give people chances to change their lives,’ he says.”

Sadly, Christ has nothing to do with Christmas, and to try to “put Christ in Christmas” is exactly what God prohibits us to do. When one wants to go back to “the source of Christmas,” he needs to return to ancient pre-Christian practices of heathens worshipping their pagan sun gods. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas.”

(Español: ¿Podría explicar Marcos 2:27-28? ¿De qué manera es Jesús el “Señor del sábado”? Ya que el hombre no fue creado para el sábado, ¿podemos por lo tanto trabajar en el sábado?)

To answer these and related questions, it is important to explain some of the background and to look at the context of the Scripture.

Jesus said that He did not come to do away with the Law of God (Matthew 5:17). He told a young ruler that he was required to keep the commandments of God if he wanted to enter into eternal life (Matthew 19:16-17). He then listed many of the Ten Commandments, so that there could be no doubt what “Law” he was referring to (verses 18-19). James, half-brother of Jesus Christ, later stated that we are a transgressor of the entire Law of God, if we violate just one of His commandments (James 2:10). He clearly identified the “Law” as the Ten Commandments, quoting two of the Ten (verse 11). In the letter to the Hebrews, we find the express confirmation of the ongoing validity of the Sabbath commandment, when we read: “It is therefore the duty of the people of God to keep the Sabbath” (Hebrews 4:9, Lamsa Bible).

Whatever the meaning of Mark 2:27-28 may be, we can already safely state from this overview that Jesus did not teach the abolishment of the Sabbath—the fourth of the Ten Commandments.

Since Christ said that He did not come to abolish, but to fulfill the Law, He did not at the same time come to abolish the rules and regulations defining how to keep the Sabbath. The Fourth Commandment says very clearly that we are not to do servile or customary work on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15). As God rested on the seventh day from His ordinary work of creating plants, animals and men, so we are to rest from our ordinary labor and to be spiritually refreshed on the Sabbath.

Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man. It was God’s gift to man. It was not supposed to be a burden, but a blessing. As God blessed and sanctified for holy use the seventh day (Genesis 2:3), He did so for man, so man will be blessed when he properly keeps and enjoys the seventh day.

However, the Pharisees at the time of Jesus Christ had made a burden out of the Sabbath. Their motives might have been good, but the result was catastrophic. They remembered that the Assyrians and Babylonians had enslaved the ancient houses of Israel and Judah because of their idolatry and Sabbath-breaking. They wanted to make sure that the people would not again break the Sabbath. In trying to accomplish this, they added many rules and restrictions to God’s Sabbath commandment, reasoning that one had to break first those restrictions, before reaching the core of the Sabbath Law, and that it would be very difficult to peel off the layers of their man-made rules to ever reach the substance of the Law.

They felt that these additional man-made rules constituted a “fence” to protect the substance of the Sabbath. They reasoned that no one would violate the heart and core of the Sabbath Law if they were prevented from breaking certain provisions that “fenced in,” and thereby “protected,” the Fourth Commandment. As stated, their motives might have been laudable, but they had in effect placed a yoke on the people which they were not able to bear.

To give you a better understanding as to the nature of these burdensome pharisaical rules and regulations, we are quoting a brief excerpt from our free booklet, “God’s Commanded Holy Days”:

“The Pharisees totally misinterpreted the prohibition against carrying burdens on the Sabbath. They decreed that a person was guilty of breaking the Sabbath if he carried a sheet of paper, or any food that weighed as much as a dried fig, or if he carried more than one swallow of milk, or enough oil to anoint a small part of the body. If a fire broke out in a person’s home on the Sabbath, he could carry out only the necessary food to be consumed on the Sabbath. This meant that if the fire broke out at the beginning of the Sabbath—right after sunset—the person could take out enough food for three meals; but if the fire broke out on the afternoon of the Sabbath, he could only take out enough food for one meal. The rest could not be carried out and had to be left behind, to burn with the building. Further, only necessary clothes could be taken out of a burning house on the Sabbath.”

Jesus came to make God’s Law great and honorable (Isaiah 42:21) —to show the spiritual intent of the Law. He confronted the Pharisees on many occasions regarding their restrictive interpretations of the Sabbath command. He chided them for transgressing the Law of God to uphold their own traditions (Mark 7:8-9). As stated, God intended the Sabbath to be a blessing for man, not a curse or a burden. In light of this understanding, Christ healed many sick people on the Sabbath—but the Pharisees condemned Him for that, claiming that He should heal them during the six days of the week, but not on the Sabbath. Their idea was that a sick man could not be freed from illness on the Sabbath—preventing him from really enjoying the intent of the Sabbath Law. But Jesus declared to them powerfully and unequivocally: “… it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:12).

At the same time, the Pharisees’ interpretation and practices lacked in consequential teaching and application. They would allow a baby to be circumcised on the Sabbath—if the eighth day after birth fell on the Sabbath–but they would not allow a sick person to be healed on the Sabbath. They would also allow an ox which had fallen into the pit to be rescued on the Sabbath, or to water their animals on the Sabbath, but they would not allow the healing of a human being on the Sabbath, who was created in the image of God.

In addition, they criticized the disciples of Christ for plucking the heads of grain on the Sabbath, to satisfy their hunger (Mark 2:23-24; Matthew 12:1-2). It was their position that they should rather go hungry than to pluck a few heads of grain, falsely interpreting such conduct as prohibited “harvesting.”

It was this kind of environment and philosophy that Jesus was addressing, when He made the profound statements in Mark 2:27-28: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

In the parallel account of Matthew 12, He adds the following: “Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (verses 6-8). As an aside, the word “even” is not in the original Greek and was added by the translator.

Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man—the One greater than the Temple—the Lord of the Sabbath. As we have seen in a previous Q&A [“Did Jesus Exist Prior to His Human Birth?”] it was He who created the Sabbath. We read that God the Father created everything through and by Jesus Christ—and that includes man and the Sabbath. Jesus created the Sabbath for man, and as the Lord of the Sabbath, He can tell us with authority how to keep it. The discussion did not evolve around whether or not to keep it—Jesus kept the Sabbath, as was His custom (Luke 4:16). Later, Paul kept the Sabbath, as was his custom (Acts 17:2), and he told Gentile converts in Corinth to follow or imitate him as he followed Christ (compare 1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1). Christ never allowed or authorized man to change the Sabbath to Sunday. In fact, He condemns this kind of religious worship (compare Matthew 5:19). Those who think they can worship God the Father and Jesus Christ on Sunday, instead of the Sabbath—thereby upholding their own traditions, while transgressing and abolishing the commandments of God—are engaging in a kind of worship which is NOT acceptable to God (Matthew 15:7-9, 13-14).

Christ placed mercy over strict pharisaical restrictions, pointing out that David ate from the showbread of the temple, when he was hungry, although it was not “lawful” for him to eat it (Matthew 12:3-4). But Christ did not condemn David for this. He also taught that the priests in the temple had to fulfill their responsibilities on the Sabbath, which—according to pharisaical consequential reasoning–would have been tantamount to “breaking” or “profaning” the Sabbath, but Christ said they were “blameless” in doing so (Matthew 12:5). When today God’s ministers “work” on the Sabbath in preparing and delivering sermons, they are equally blameless and guiltless.

On the other hand, Christ did not teach that we can violate God’s Sabbath by just trampling it under foot—by working in our jobs to earn a living and by pursuing our own pleasures and hobbies. Isaiah 58:13 states to you (according to the New International Version) that you are to “keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day” and to “call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’s holy day honorable” and to “honor it by not doing as you please or speaking idle words.” The Living Bible clarifies that “doing as you please” refers to “your own fun and business.”

Yet, in emergencies, we can and should take care of our personal needs, but this does not mean that we should create emergencies in the first place, so that we can then “break” the Sabbath in order to take care of them. We are not to throw a sheep into the ditch on Friday so that we can rescue it on the Sabbath day.

Jesus is the LORD of the Sabbath. He tells us with authority that we must keep it—and how to do so. Jesus made the Sabbath for MAN (not just the Jew), to be a blessing for man. The Sabbath was not made to be a curse or a burden for us. Man was not made for the Sabbath, to be under a cruel and merciless pharisaical yoke. The Pharisees, through their legalistic approach, had placed undue restrictions on the Sabbath, teaching in effect that man was made for the Sabbath. But Jesus came to show that the Sabbath was made FOR man, to be joyfully observed and to be called “a delight.” In keeping the Sabbath properly, we draw closer to God and are reminded of His great love for us, who created us in the first place with the potential of entering His very Family. See our recent Q&A, “Why was man created?”

None of His commandments are to be viewed as a burden for us (1 John 5:3). Rather, God’s love in us enables us to keep all of His commandments properly and from the heart (2 John 6). God’s entire Law is an expression of His love, and God IS love (1 John 4:8).

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on the Web, titled, “U.S. Democracy in Danger?” The international media claims that the US government’s reaction to the release of documents by WikiLeaks is a greater threat to democracy than any information revealed. We hear of intolerable censorship and unconstitutional conduct. What is going on in America? Do we really have to fear for our individual liberties and freedom?

A new German sermon as posted on the Web, titled, “Die Welt der Engel, Teil 4” [“The World of Angels, Part 4”].

Trust is an asset that cannot truly be bought, yet in its purest form is absolutely priceless. Trust is the primary vehicle on which a community should manage to function. Without it, even the simplest activities that we normally take for granted become dramatically more dangerous. To cite an example, when we drive we stay on our side of the road trusting or expecting that those in oncoming traffic will do the same. Likewise, the drivers whom we trust, place their trust in us to stay on our side of the road. When any single driver on the road decides to neglect this trust, the roads become unsafe. Only with a system of mutual trust, where that trust is honored by all parties involved, is it possible to provide a stable and safe environment.

It is when trust is violated that havoc ensues. Try to imagine an environment where you cannot believe anything that another says. Imagine that others fail to confide in anyone else for fear of being betrayed. In such a world, how nerve wracking would it be to make a simple purchase, knowing that the cashier might take your money and ask you to leave without your purchased goods? How difficult would it be walking down the street, knowing that each person you pass poses a serious threat to your safety? It is clear that a world void of mutual trust is a nightmare that no one wants to live in. Yet, this is the direction towards which this world ceaselessly marches.

With the recent public release of the infamous WikiLeaks communication cables, a shocking amount of international trust has been flushed down the tubes. The private and unflattering views of many foreign dignitaries have now been exposed to friends and enemies alike, worldwide. Because of this event, has the United States lost its reputation for integrity, honor and honesty? Will the countries and individuals as subjects in these secret documents dare to trust this country with its valuable information any longer? Anyone who has had their trust betrayed will find it natural to conclude that many of those relationships will grow cold. Proverbs 18:19 tells us: “A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city.” Here, we see a real world example in which mutual trust is disintegrating before our eyes. With international trust violated on such a grand scale, the international political environment has taken a giant step towards greater instability and lack of safety. Just how high the guard walls will rise up, only time will tell.

The only way to correct such a cascading course of distrust and betrayal is to set an example of trustworthiness. The Bible provides the best instruction to us on this subject matter. The Ten Commandments teach us how to treat our neighbor — with honesty, respect and love — so that we can be trusted. Jesus Christ Himself set the best example of trustworthiness by sacrificing His own life for our sake. By His name we know that we can and will be saved (Acts 4:10-12). As Christ’s disciples, we must live in a manner so that we can be trusted. In the final analysis, only God is totally trustworthy and reliable. We are told in Scripture not to put our ultimate trust in man (Psalm 146:3; compare Psalm 118:8; Micah 7:5).

The Bible clearly teaches that above all else, we are to trust in God. We find comfort in Psalm 9:10 where we read, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

As the world around us becomes more unstable with the virtue of trust disintegrating, we are required to adhere to the righteous and spiritual ways of God, rejecting the ways of the world. We must prove ourselves to be trustworthy by demonstrating Christian integrity. Most importantly, we must also trust in the one true God to fulfill His plan for the Kingdom to be established.

Trust is an asset that cannot truly be bought, yet in its purest form is absolutely priceless. Trust is the primary vehicle on which a community should manage to function. Without it, even the simplest activities that we normally take for granted become dramatically more dangerous. To cite an example, when we drive we stay on our side of the road trusting or expecting that those in oncoming traffic will do the same. Likewise, the drivers whom we trust, place their trust in us to stay on our side of the road. When any single driver on the road decides to neglect this trust, the roads become unsafe. Only with a system of mutual trust, where that trust is honored by all parties involved, is it possible to provide a stable and safe environment.

It is when trust is violated that havoc ensues. Try to imagine an environment where you cannot believe anything that another says. Imagine that others fail to confide in anyone else for fear of being betrayed. In such a world, how nerve wracking would it be to make a simple purchase, knowing that the cashier might take your money and ask you to leave without your purchased goods? How difficult would it be walking down the street, knowing that each person you pass poses a serious threat to your safety? It is clear that a world void of mutual trust is a nightmare that no one wants to live in. Yet, this is the direction towards which this world ceaselessly marches.

With the recent public release of the infamous WikiLeaks communication cables, a shocking amount of international trust has been flushed down the tubes. The private and unflattering views of many foreign dignitaries have now been exposed to friends and enemies alike, worldwide. Because of this event, has the United States lost its reputation for integrity, honor and honesty? Will the countries and individuals as subjects in these secret documents dare to trust this country with its valuable information any longer? Anyone who has had their trust betrayed will find it natural to conclude that many of those relationships will grow cold. Proverbs 18:19 tells us: “A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city.” Here, we see a real world example in which mutual trust is disintegrating before our eyes. With international trust violated on such a grand scale, the international political environment has taken a giant step towards greater instability and lack of safety. Just how high the guard walls will rise up, only time will tell.

The only way to correct such a cascading course of distrust and betrayal is to set an example of trustworthiness. The Bible provides the best instruction to us on this subject matter. The Ten Commandments teach us how to treat our neighbor — with honesty, respect and love — so that we can be trusted. Jesus Christ Himself set the best example of trustworthiness by sacrificing His own life for our sake. By His name we know that we can and will be saved (Acts 4:10-12). As Christ’s disciples, we must live in a manner so that we can be trusted. In the final analysis, only God is totally trustworthy and reliable. We are told in Scripture not to put our ultimate trust in man (Psalm 146:3; compare Psalm 118:8; Micah 7:5).

The Bible clearly teaches that above all else, we are to trust in God. We find comfort in Psalm 9:10 where we read, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

As the world around us becomes more unstable with the virtue of trust disintegrating, we are required to adhere to the righteous and spiritual ways of God, rejecting the ways of the world. We must prove ourselves to be trustworthy by demonstrating Christian integrity. Most importantly, we must also trust in the one true God to fulfill His plan for the Kingdom to be established.

In this issue, we begin with reports about the Vatican’s political role in world affairs; focus on the Middle East peace process; discuss the future of the euro and Europe; address the suspension of military conscription in Germany and the “royal Guttenbergs”; warn against restrictions of freedom in the West; speak of Silvio Berlusconi’s uncertain future; and conclude with articles relating to the latest terrorist attack in Sweden and the death of Richard Holbrooke.

The Vatican’s POLITICAL Role

The Guardian wrote on December 10:

“The pope is responsible for the Vatican’s growing hostility towards Turkey joining the EU, previously secret cables sent from the US embassy to the Holy See in Rome claim. In 2004 Cardinal Ratzinger, the future pope, spoke out against letting a Muslim state join, although at the time the Vatican was formally neutral on the question…The cable released by WikiLeaks shows that Ratzinger was the leading voice behind the Holy See’s unsuccessful drive to secure a reference to Europe’s ‘Christian roots’ in the EU constitution. The US diplomat noted that Ratzinger ‘clearly understands that allowing a Muslim country into the EU would further weaken his case for Europe’s Christian foundations’…

“Roman Catholicism is the only religion in the world with the status of a sovereign state, allowing the pope’s most senior clerics to sit at the top table with world leaders. The cables reveal the Vatican routinely wielding influence through diplomatic channels while sometimes denying it is doing so. The Vatican has diplomatic relations with 177 countries and has used its diplomatic status to lobby the US, United Nations and European Union in a concerted bid to impose its moral agenda through national and international parliaments…

“The then US ambassador to the Holy See, Francis Rooney, briefed Washington in 2006, shortly after the election of Pope Benedict XVI, that ‘the Holy See hopes that Poland will hold the line at the EU on “life and family” issues that arise’ and would serve as a counterweight to western European secularism once the country had integrated into the EU… In 2001 another American diplomat to the Vatican stated: ‘The Holy See will continue to seek to play a role in the Middle East peace process while denying this intention.’”

The New York Times wrote on December 11:

“Recently released diplomatic cables show the Vatican fighting to shore up its eroding control over sexual abuse scandals in the United States and Ireland, highlighting complex tensions between the Vatican hierarchy, local bishops and civil authorities. The cables… provide a telling glimpse of how American diplomats often rely on the Roman Catholic Church’s worldwide network of prelates for intelligence…

“A cable sent that year by the United States Embassy to the Holy See said that Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Pope John Paul II’s last secretary of state, ‘took the bulk of his initial meeting’ with Ambassador James Nicholson ‘to register his displeasure with the several lawsuits filed in U.S. courts that have been served at the Vatican.’ It added that Cardinal Sodano ‘complained about the “aggressive attorneys” who had started in on the Vatican with the sexual abuse scandal and had also filed suits about Nazi-era gold allegedly acquired by the Holy See. It’s one thing for them to sue bishops… but another thing entirely to sue the Holy See.’ Cardinal Sodano urged Ambassador Nicholson to help defend the Holy See’s sovereignty.

“In 2005, the State Department argued that Pope Benedict XVI should be immune from a lawsuit accusing him of conspiracy to hide abuse because he was a head of state. A federal judge later dismissed the case. The sovereignty issue emerged again more recently in Ireland, where two government-appointed commissions released reports in 2009 revealing a widespread cover-up of abuse, shaking the Irish church to its core. According to a cable sent in February from the American Embassy to the Holy See, requests by Irish investigators ‘offended’ many in the Vatican ‘because they saw them as an affront to Vatican sovereignty.’…

“Other cables show the Catholic Church to be deeply involved in local politics worldwide and a useful source of information for American diplomats, especially in places like Cuba and Venezuela. One cable from 2006 said that a Venezuelan clergyman might be a good source on President Hugo Chávez. The Holy See has also had full diplomatic ties with Iran for decades…

“A 2002 cable said that ‘despite the real progress’ under John Paul in the Vatican’s relations with Judaism, some in the hierarchy still ‘manifested remnants of anti-Semitic sentiments.’  It cited…[a] curial official [as saying] some lawsuits against the Holy See ‘were the result of “Jewish judges having too much influence.”’

The EUObserver wrote on December 13:

“Freshly-published cables from the US mission to the Vatican have shed light on the inner workings of Europe’s most secretive diplomatic corps… ‘The Vatican is second only to the United States in the number of countries with which it enjoys diplomatic relations… and there are Catholic priests, nuns and lay people in every country on the planet. As the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide and enjoying respect as well from non-Catholics, the Pope wields an unparalleled moral megaphone,’  a 2009 US note ahead of President Barack Obama’s meeting with the pontiff says. ‘Private comments from Vatican officials to European diplomats also carry some weight – particularly in the traditionally Catholic countries,’ a 2006 cable says.”

The book of Revelation describes in vivid terms the political role of the Catholic Church in the world. For more information, please read our free booklet, “Is That in the Bible?—The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation.”

The Queen Is Dead—Long Live the Queen…

NPR wrote on December 11:

“Though she suffered a major setback in the Middle East peace process this week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she’s not giving up. She says the U.S. will remain active trying to bridge the gap between Israelis and Palestinians — even though their leaders aren’t even talking to each other now… The secretary told the audience that she regrets that the two sides are still far apart. She used her speech to warn Israelis and Palestinians that the status quo is not sustainable…

“Israelis argue that it was a mistake to make a settlement freeze a precondition for talks…Palestinians don’t like the idea of an interim deal and have been considering a different route to statehood — through the United Nations. Clinton argued Friday night that unilateral efforts at the U.N. are ‘not helpful and undermine trust.’”

The problem is, any trust in the USA is pretty much gone.  It is obvious that Israel and the Palestinians are looking towards other powers to help them to solve their dilemma. Especially the Palestinians look to Germany and the EU for support. The next article may show some of the reasons.

Influential Ex-EU Leaders Advocate Sanctions Against Israel

BBC wrote on December 10:

“A group of 26 ex-EU leaders has urged the union to impose sanctions on Israel for continuing to build settlements on occupied Palestinian territory. In a letter sent on Monday, they said Israel ‘like any other state’ should be made to feel ‘the consequences’ and pay a price for breaking international law. The signatories include the former EU foreign affairs chief, Javier Solana…

“The letter sent to European governments and EU institutions, asks EU foreign ministers to reiterate that they ‘will not recognise any changes to the June 1967 boundaries and clarify that a Palestinian state should be in sovereign control over territory equivalent to 100% of the territory occupied in 1967, including its capital in East Jerusalem’. It also asks ministers to set the Israeli government an ultimatum that, if it has not fallen into line by April 2011, the EU will seek an end to the US-brokered peace process… The EU should… ban imports of products made in settlements; and force Israel to pay for the majority of the aid required by the Palestinians, it adds… ‘Time is fast running out’, the letter warns, because ‘Israel’s continuation of settlement activity… poses an existential threat to the prospects of establishing a sovereign, contiguous and viable Palestinian state.’

“In addition to Mr Solana, the letter was signed by 10 former leaders of European countries – including Romano Prodi and Giuliano Amato of Italy, Richard von Weizsaecker and Helmut Schmidt of Germany, Mary Robinson of Ireland, Felipe Gonzalez of Spain and Norway’s Thorvald Stoltenberg – 10 former ministers and two former EU commissioners.

“In a letter of response to the former leaders, sent on Tuesday and seen by EUobserver, Baroness Ashton said the EU’s approach to Jewish settlement expansion would remain unchanged for the time being… ‘The European Union will continue to be at the forefront of efforts to advance the peace process and engage with both the Palestinians and the Israelis to find a way to resolve the conflict,’ her letter reportedly said… she [also] said: ‘The EU position on settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. Recent settlement related developments, including in East Jerusalem, contradict the efforts by the international community for successful negotiations.’”

In any clash between newcomer Baroness Ashton and highly prestigious influential personalities such as Helmut Schmidt or Richard von Weizsaecker, it should be obvious who will ultimately prevail. In addition, as the next article points out, a violent clash between the Israelis and the Palestinians appears to be inevitable.

Israel Won’t Share Jerusalem with Palestinians

The Associated Press reported on December 12:

“Conflicting claims to  east Jerusalem lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The dispute over the area, home to sensitive Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, has derailed past peace talks and spilled into violence. Palestinians claim the sector as the capital of their future state.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reaffirmation of his intention to hold on to east Jerusalem… was likely to increase friction with the Americans… Netanyahu’s defense minister, Ehud Barak… called for sharing Jerusalem with the Palestinians. But a government official said Barak’s idea does not reflect the government’s view.

“’Mr. Netanyahu is distancing himself not from Barak, he is distancing himself from international consensus, he’s distancing himself from international resolutions and distancing himself from international law,’ said Palestinian spokesman Husam Zomlot. ‘And most importantly, he’s distancing himself from any possible negotiated settlement based on the two-state solution.’”

Desecration of the Sabbath Causing Destruction?

On December 4, 2010, the Jerusalem Post wrote:

“Shas Council of Torah Sages Head Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said on Saturday night that the devastating Carmel fire was a result of insufficient Shabbat observance in the area. ‘Fires only happen in a place where Shabbat is desecrated,’ he quoted from the Babylonian Talmud Shabbat tractate in his weekly sermon. ‘Homes were ruined,’ he continued, ‘entire neighborhoods wiped out, and it is not arbitrary. It is all divine providence. We must repent, keep Shabbat appropriately. When the People of Israel repent, God safeguards them with a wall of fire,’ but not of the incinerating type, Yosef added.”

This position is of course overreaching, even though it cannot be denied that God is unhappy with the desecration of His Sabbath. One must be careful, however, that one does not fall into the trap of Pharisaical rules and regulations pertaining to the Sabbath, which Christ, the Lord and Creator of the Sabbath, strongly condemned.

Merkel and Sarkozy Pledge to Protect the Euro

Deutsche Welle wrote on December 10:
 
As German troops officially took up their first symbolic post on French soil since WWII, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirmed their commitment to the eurozone.
 
“Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy reaffirmed their commitment to the single European currency and to the fiscal solvency of the eurozone at a  meeting in the German city of Freiburg on Friday. ‘There is a spirit that is uniting us all,’ the German chancellor told reporters during a break in the talks. ‘If the euro fails, the European Union fails, too.’ President Sarkozy, meanwhile, pledged that Germany and France ‘will defend the euro, because the euro is Europe.’…

“’Without agreement from France and Germany – the historic motors of European integration and two economies that make up half of the eurozone’s gross domestic product – nothing very important is possible,’ Professor Henrik Uterwedde from the Franco-German Institute in Ludwigsburg told Deutsche Welle…

“While Sarkozy and Merkel discussed the harmonization of economic policies like labor and taxation laws, saying this would improve the eurozone’s coherence as an economic bloc, military leaders just across the border were preparing a more visible symbol of Franco-German cooperation. The first German battalion to be stationed on French soil since the Nazi occupation in World War II officially took up their post near the border-city of Strasbourg on Friday. German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and his French counterpart Alain Juppe attended a ceremony to mark the event…

“‘I was always surprised that the Franco-German Brigade only consisted of French soldiers in Germany,’ Sarkozy said. ‘We are two sovereign nations, two countries at peace, two countries that founded Europe.’”

The historical relationship between Germany and France has been a rocky one, but both countries are predestined to play a leading role during the last revival of the ancient Roman Empire. Charlemagne, Otto the Great, Charles V and Napoleon, who are widely viewed as French and German leaders, did in fact revive in the past the ancient Roman Empire. Angela Merkel’s comments that a spirit is uniting them all is very remarkable. As this report and the next articles show, the concept that the euro would fail and that as a consequence Europe would break apart, is just in total contradiction to biblical prophecy. The Bible does show, however, that a core Europe will develop WITHIN the European power bloc and that it will lead the greater Europe. To an extent, this core Europe or “two-speed Europe” is already developing, as the next article suggests:

A Two-Speed Europe

The Financial Times wrote on December 14:

“With Alliance Trust’s European Equity Fund celebrating its first year anniversary on Tuesday the German and Swiss markets are set to play a central role in the fund’s ongoing success. Fiona MacRae, fund manager of the European Equity Fund, … said: ‘We are currently experiencing a two-speed Europe. There is a strong centre led by Germany, filtering out to a much weaker periphery.’”

“The Euro Won’t Fail”

The Local wrote on December 11:

“German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble on Saturday warned speculators on the financial markets not to bet against the euro, as European leaders prepared for a summit next week to shore up the embattled currency. ‘Whoever bets his money against the euro will not succeed,’ Schäuble [said]… ‘The euro will not fail,’ added the minister, amid speculation that debt crises in some countries of the 16-nation zone could bring down the currency. ‘All those in charge in Europe are agreed: The euro brings us all advantages. And therefore we will successfully defend it,’ Schäuble added… ‘Even if one of the small countries were to leave [the eurozone], the consequences would be incalculable,’ Schäuble said.”

Of course, Wolfgang Schäuble is absolutely right. In addition, note this excerpt from an article which was published by the EUObserver on December 13:

“…  Schaeuble has said… that the next decade is likely to see Europe take significant steps towards closer political union… ‘In 10 years we will have a structure that corresponds much stronger to what one describes as political union,’ he added.”

According to the Bible, Europe’s economic union will lead to a political and military union.

Euro-Zone’s STRONG Performance

The Wall Street Journal wrote on December 14:

“The euro-zone economy looks set to achieve a healthy fourth quarter, with an ongoing strong performance in the core member states expected to limit the likely poorer outcome from the smaller, peripheral economies. The German ZEW expectations survey, released Tuesday, rose for a second straight month in December as investors’ confidence was buoyed by an increasingly broad-based strong economic performance. The expectations element of the survey rose to 4.3 from November’s 1.8, and above the 4 forecast. The harder official data also suggested the euro zone started the fourth quarter on a strong footing.”

The paper added the following in a related article:

“German economic expectations improved for the second consecutive month in December, rebuffing immediate concerns about a deepening debt crisis in the euro zone’s periphery.”

Majority of Germans for the Euro

The Local wrote on December 10:

“Sixty percent of those polled said they preferred the euro, while one-third said they longed for the return of the Deutsche mark, the survey for broadcaster ARD found. The nostalgia for the former German currency was highest among less-educated. Forty-nine percent said they wanted to fill their wallets with the mark once again after 11 years with the euro. Meanwhile 80 percent of the highly educated participants said they were against the reinstatement of the old bills and coins…

“Though it remains considerably stronger versus the US dollar than the mark was back in 1998, the euro’s precipitous decline has sparked concern in Europe’s largest economy.”

A poll, which was published this week in Der Stern, suggests that many Germans are unhappy with the euro, but that a majority are against a return to the Deutsche Mark.

No Euro-Zone Break-Up!

The Local wrote on December 15:

“German Chancellor Angela Merkel moved Wednesday to silence fears of a eurozone break-up, saying that although some members faced tough challenges, Europe’s paymaster would not desert them. ‘No one in Europe will be left alone, no one in Europe will be abandoned. Europe succeeds when it acts together and I would add, Europe succeeds only when it acts together,’ Merkel said in a speech to parliament. Merkel said that some in the 16-nation eurozone faced an uphill task in repairing their public finances but she expressed confidence that the single currency would survive.”

Who Speaks for Europe?

This article shows that there is presently no powerful leader in Europe who could speak for Europe with “one” strong voice, but the Bible predicts that this situation will change soon.

The New York Times wrote on December 15:

“With the euro under siege, European Union leaders will gather Thursday for a meeting aimed at restoring confidence in their monetary union, but threatened by one of Europe’s persistent failings: its inability to speak with one voice… The president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, called on the leaders Wednesday to maintain discipline and show ‘that the E.U. is in control of events.’… Despite the pleas to present a united front, the markets are expected to put further pressure on borrowing costs in Portugal and Spain, two euro countries perceived as weak… Once a key conduit between Berlin and Paris, Mr. Juncker [Luxembourg’s leader] has fallen out of favor in both capitals. With diminished influence behind the scenes, he seems to be trying to bolster his reputation among supporters of closer European integration…

“Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was Mrs. Merkel’s foreign minister from 2005 to 2009, and Peer Steinbrück, finance minister in the same period, said Germany should take the lead in pushing for more European integration…”

German Military Conscription to Be Suspended

The Local wrote on December 11:

“With just months to go before military conscription is set to be suspended in Germany, the government is looking toward pay hikes and monthly bonuses to encourage volunteers to join the armed forces… the draft law foresees a triple system of financial and other incentives, including drivers’ licenses, leisure-time perks and continued education opportunities…

“On Thursday, leaders of Merkel’s coalition government agreed on troop reductions in the Bundeswehr, from 240,000 to 185,000 soldiers. Professional soldiers would account for most of that number, with 15,000 volunteers rounding out the ranks.”

Der Stern Online added on December 10 that military conscription will not be totally abolished and that it could be re-instituted in case of necessity. At the same time, Der Spiegel Online reported on December 15, 2010, that commencing March 1, no one will be drafted against his will.

The future will show what the move of suspending military conscription in Germany will do. We do know that Europe will very soon have a powerful common army, and Germany will be heavily participating in the same.

Europe Needs Germany, and Vice Versa

Der Spiegel Online published an highly propagandistic article on December 14, bordering on the ridiculousness, when describing Europe and especially Germany as extremely pacifistic, comparing them with the “peace-loving Venus,” while picturing America as the “warlord Mars.” However, the following excerpts are worth noticing:

“Germany needs Europe, and Europe needs Germany. This is still true today, but for different reasons than in the past. In the first few decades after World War II, our neighbors wanted to contain Germany so that they could tame the German demon. The Germans needed Europe so that they could play a role on the international stage once again… Today Germany can only exert political influence through the EU, and even that is becoming difficult, because of the strong reciprocal relationship between China and the United States… economic strength must go hand-in-hand with political strength, which Germany can only attain through Europe.

“The Germans gave up their beloved deutschmark for the euro. It was the right decision… Another area in which greater European unity would be in Germany’s interests is security policy… it wants to play a role internationally. The best way to achieve this is through a European foreign policy that has at its disposal a European army… it makes no sense at all for each European country to maintain a complete military force…”

The Bible shows that there will be a most powerful European army within a few years from now.

“The Royal Guttenbergs”

The Local wrote on December 14:

“Not used to glamorous politicians, Germans are both dazzled and dismayed by Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and his wife Stephanie… Politicians in Germany aren’t allowed to be attractive or enjoy their jobs. The public immediately becomes suspicious of anyone daring to break either of these rules…

“It’s in this context that Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg travelled this week to Afghanistan to visit German troops ahead of the holidays – but he wasn’t alone. The aristocratic minister was accompanied by his fetching wife Stephanie, two state premiers, and the TV talk show host Johannes B. Kerner. The Bundeswehr base at Mazar-i-Sharif became the backdrop for Kerner’s show, which had one prominent guest: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. A few soldiers were used for garnish.

“Is the war trivialised by such visits? Is there room for glamour and entertainment where death and killing is so prevalent? Did Guttenberg exhibit once more his political genius, or did he finally overstep the line separating tact, dignity and humility from obscenity?… The blueblood baron would probably say this division merely separates great minds from small ones… we should be happy to have someone like Guttenberg. He’s stuck to his principles whether the issue was bailing out carmaker Opel or reforming his own ministry. Guttenberg has fearlessly stared down both friend and foe alike on issues such as ending military conscription.

“At the same time, he’s brought a fresh approach to politics – which can both impress and annoy people. But the more he seems to annoy, the more people appear to be impressed by him… Our brutally fickle times demand hero-worship be followed by a precipitous fall. The public instinctively wants to tear people down to its own size – especially those with an aura of aristocracy about them… The Guttenbergs are aware of this and yet don’t seem to care…”

Without perhaps openly admitting it, many Germans are longing for leadership which is respected in the world and which they can be proud of. The “ghost” of the Habsburg empire and “Kaiser Wilhelm” is not dead. And voices can be heard these days to the effect that “not everything that Hitler did was bad. He just shouldn’t have killed all the Jews, but ‘we’ knew nothing about that.”

Freedom in the West Under Attack

On December 13, Der Spiegel Online published the following article:

“Since 9/11, press freedom in the West has come under attack… the hunt for WikiLeaks is a greater danger to democracy than any information that WikiLeaks might reveal…

“Since becoming embroiled in the war against terrorism, the US government has transformed itself into a huge security apparatus… 854,000 people in the US government… hold top-secret security clearances — and this under a president who came into office promising a new era of openness in government…

“In the crisis, the countries of Old Europe are also putting up the barricades. Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblowing platform WikiLeaks, is playing with the fire of anarchy… the hatred he reaps in return is beneath all democracies…

“The US Justice Department[ ] attempt[s] to invoke the controversial Espionage Act of 1917… The period of World War I was a dark time for constitutional freedoms in the US. In its practically hysterical fear of communists and all other critics, the judiciary even prosecuted people who distributed flyers critical of military service, and in doing so ignored all constitutional guarantees…

“For Berlin constitutional law expert Dieter Grimm, it is clear that the whistleblower website enjoys ‘the protections for freedom of the press under Germany’s Basic Law.’ As a judge on the German Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, Grimm played a very important role in shaping the current interpretation of freedom of opinion and freedom of the press in Germany…”

“Intolerable Censorship”

The Local reported on December 16:

“A group of major German newspapers and a human rights advocacy group… published an appeal against the criminalisation of whistleblower website Wikileaks, saying the site deserved as much protection as traditional media… The political and economic pressure put on Wikileaks following its publication of thousands of confidential US diplomatic cables has been ‘inappropriate,’ the statement said. While there may be good reasons to criticise the release, taking action against the ‘journalistic medium’ was a form of intolerable censorship, it added…

“Pressure by the US government for large international companies such as MasterCard, PayPal and Amazon to end their cooperation with Wikileaks reveals a ‘shocking understanding of democracy in which freedom of information is only valid when it doesn’t harm anyone.’ ‘Journalism has not only the right, but the duty to check the state and illuminate the mechanisms of government business,’ the statement said, calling on businesses and governments to end their attempts to silence the site.”

U.S. Air Force in Violation of U.S. Constitution?

The Wall Street Journal wrote on December 14:

“The U.S. Air Force is blocking its personnel from using work computers to view the websites of the New York Times and other major publications that have posted classified diplomatic cables, people familiar with the matter said.

“Air Force users who try to view the websites of the New York Times, Britain’s Guardian, Spain’s El Pais, France’s Le Monde or German magazine Der Spiegel instead get a page that says, ‘ACCESS DENIED. Internet Usage is Logged & Monitored,’ according to a screen shot reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The notice warns that anyone who accesses unauthorized sites from military computers could be punished.

“The Air Force said it had blocked more than 25 websites that contained the documents, originally obtained by the website WikiLeaks and published starting late last month, in order to keep classified material off unclassified computer systems…

“‘It is unfortunate that the U.S. Air Force has chosen not to allow its personnel access to the most important news, analysis and commentary,’ a New York Times spokeswoman said…

“One senior defense official questioned the wisdom of blocking the newspaper sites or even prohibiting service members from visiting them on military computers, arguing that the information has spread on the Internet and that sites like the New York Times contain other, useful information. The defense official said blocking the New York Times was a misinterpretation of military guidance to avoid visiting websites that post classified material. The new order doesn’t prevent Air Force personnel from viewing the media websites on nonmilitary computers, one Air Force official said…”

The German and Austrian news agency, news.at, wrote in addition:

“Critics view the blocking as a violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech.”

This kind of controversial conduct, which even America’s allies perceive as hypocritical, extremely dangerous and a threat to liberty and freedom, is inflicting much additional harm on the USA.

US Is Suing BP

BBC News reported on December 15:

“The US is suing BP and eight other firms for allegedly violating federal safety regulations in connection with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The lawsuit asks that they be held liable without limitation for all clean-up and damage costs.

“The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion in April killed 11 workers and spilled millions of barrels of oil over several months. The oil leak became the worst environmental disaster in US history… In a statement, BP said the filing ‘does not in any manner constitute any finding of liability or any judicial finding that the allegations have merit’… But the justice department said on Wednesday that the investigation into the oil spill was ongoing and that more defendants and charges could be added to the lawsuit.”

The negative US media coverage about BP’s role pertaining to the oil spill has upset many Brits. The lawsuit will only increase Britain’s anger against the USA.

Berlusconi’s Uncertain Future

Deutsche Welle reported on December 14:

“Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in the lower house of parliament, after the Senate also voted in his favor earlier Tuesday. The no-confidence motion was rejected by 314 votes to 311. However, Berlusconi’s government still faces an uncertain future, as its tiny majority will make it difficult for him to pass legislation… Tuesday’s votes come after a year fraught with corruption and sex scandals involving Italy’s premier…

“Italy’s economy [is] in serious trouble, and the country has one of the heaviest public debt burdens in the world… Recent surveys show that less than 30 percent of Italians wanted Berlusconi to finish his current term… Italy’s high court will soon hand down a ruling on the constitutionality of a law passed by Berlusconi to protect himself from prosecution while prime minister. If the law is deemed invalid, he will face charges of corrupting a judge. Berlusconi took power for the first time in 1994, winning three elections and transforming Italy’s political landscape. But now, he faces some rocky times ahead.”

In the USA and many other Western European countries, Silvio Berlusconi would have been forced to resign a long time ago. But not so in Italy. Even though differences exist between Berlusconi and Mussolini, still, sad memories of the times under Benito Mussolini do come to mind…

Terror in Sweden

The Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote on December 13:

“On Saturday two bombs exploded, and a person blew a hole through his stomach for his beliefs… Islamist terror is untamable, because there are vast groups of angry, young men with backgrounds in religious fanaticism who are not able to be mollified. Their targets are random….

Die Welt wrote on December 13:

“Bombs exploding during Advent. Germans security agencies had warned about the possibility. And now it has happened in Sweden…. A society like Israel constantly is experiencing a balancing act between maintaining a heightened state of alert against omnipresent enemies, and, at the same time, enjoying life and personal freedom. This enormous psychological challenge faces Europe if the situation gets any worse.”

The Berliner Zeitung wrote on December 13:

“The attack… reminds us that there aren’t any terror-free islands anymore. Even in a Scandinavia that appeared to be safe, there are fanatics whose wrong-headed ideology doesn’t preclude the murder of innocent civilians… There is no excuse for inhumane terror, nor is there one for pinning a crime committed by a single actor or terror organization on an entire ethnicity or religion.”

The German press reported that, according to captured al-Qaida informants, terror attacks are planned around Christmas time in Europe and the USA, and that the activities in Sweden were already a part of the planned worldwide attacks.

Richard Holbrooke Dies

Der Spiegel Online reported on December 14:

“There is little doubt that he was the embodiment of US diplomacy. Richard Holbrooke, who died on Monday evening at the age of 69, was a widely-respected negotiator, a former US ambassador in Berlin and elsewhere, a key player in bringing peace to Bosnia. Most recently, he was President Barack Obama’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was, in short, a ‘giant of US foreign policy,’ as Obama said on Monday…

“Holbrooke often seemed to be a throwback — a symbol of a time when the US maintained an unshaken belief in its supremacy, a time when China was still in a deep slumber. The proud members of the US Foreign Service were the tools of a Washington that wanted a say in all parts of the globe. Self-doubt was not a widespread characteristic in US embassies around the world… Holbrooke… was a co-author of the Pentagon Papers, the secret report which analyzed how the US became involved in the morass in Vietnam, [and] which… later contributed to the end of the war…

“Holbrooke’s American self-confidence, his conviction that he and his country could solve virtually any problem, never abandoned him… The fact that his aorta ruptured during a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — which triggered multiple operations before his passing on Monday — is reminiscent of a soldier dying in the field. And as sad as it sounds, it may also be a fitting analogy to the US involvement in Afghanistan: A determined and energetic fight, but with little to show.”

In previous Q&As, we discussed the nature of God—that God is a ruling and governing Family—the “Kingdom of God”—consisting of two Spirit beings, the Father and the Son. We also learned that the Holy Spirit is not God or a Person, but the power of God, emanating from both the Father and the Son. Please see for further information:

“Was Jesus an Angel?”

“Did Jesus Exist Prior to His Human Birth?”

“Who Was Jesus?”

“Two Gods?”

“Is the Holy Spirit God?”

In this Q&A, we want to explain the fact that God is a GROWING Family. He wants to enlarge His Family by bringing many sons and daughters into His Family. When God gives His Holy Spirit to His followers, they become BEGOTTEN members of His Family. Those who are called to salvation in this day and age will be BORN into His Family—thereby becoming Spirit beings and full-fledged God beings—at the time of Christ’s return.

We need to begin our discussion on the destiny of man by briefly addressing first the “born again” question.

Most professing Christians and even some members of the true Church of God are confused about this vital question of “being born again.” They sincerely believe that they are already born again today. But they are sincerely wrong. The Bible does not teach this. Our free booklet, “Are You Already Born Again?”, explains in much detail from the Bible WHEN true Christians become “born again.” For space limitations, we can only quote a few excerpts from this booklet, but we strongly recommend that you read or re-read it in its entirety:

“In John 3, Jesus Christ explained… that no human being could be IN the Kingdom of God, and that in order to enter God’s Kingdom, one had to become a Spirit being—a member of the God Family… Jesus answered Nicodemus in John 3:3, 5–6, 8: ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit… The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit’…

“Christ could not possibly have spoken about a ‘born again’ experience in this physical life. Notice it again: One who is born of the Spirit IS spirit. He is like the wind which cannot be seen but can be felt—like a powerful hurricane or tornado. Christ also said that unless one is born again, he could not see nor enter the Kingdom of God. In other words, as long as someone is flesh and blood—not spirit—he cannot see or enter God’s Kingdom…

“Although we will be born again at the time of our resurrection or our change to immortality, something else must happen first so that we CAN become born again. The Bible describes this prior event as spiritual conception or ‘begettal.’ Simply put, before we can be born again, we must be begotten again—a spiritual begettal. This spiritual begettal takes place at the time of our baptism, after repentance, and after coming to an understanding of, and belief in, Christ’s sacrifice and the gospel of the Kingdom of God. At the time of baptism we then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, through the laying on of hands, as a down payment—a guarantee (Ephesians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:5)— of our ultimate new birth at our resurrection to spirit…

“With the receipt of God’s Spirit, we acquire God’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), but there is still another step in the process. Just as an embryo must grow and develop, we must also grow spiritually and develop the fruit of the Spirit—the actual character of God. God considers those who have received His Spirit as being His children (2 Corinthians 6:17–18). Finally, Spirit-begotten children become SEPARATE SPIRIT BEINGS upon being born again—at their resurrection and change to immortality…

“Notice Luke 20:35–36: ‘But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, BEING SONS OF THE RESURRECTION.’ We will be born-again children of God when we have been resurrected—not before then. Christ calls us the ‘sons of the resurrection’ for a reason!”

Many claim, erroneously, that the Greek word, translated “born,” refers to a BIRTH prior to Christ’s return. However, they are mistaken. The Greek word is “gennao” and means, “born” or “begotten”—depending on the context—and it can even describe the process from “begotten” to “being born”—the process of the entire “pregnancy,” lasting from conception until delivery. It is strictly the translator’s choice to use the word “born” or “begotten,” when translating the Greek word, “gennao,” but when the word “birth” is used for and applied to the “pregnancy” prior to the actual time of the “delivery,” then the translator made the wrong choice. In every such case, the expressions for “begotten” should have been used.

What will actually happen to true Spirit-BEGOTTEN Christians, when they will be BORN AGAIN or BORN ANEW at the time of Christ’s return? What is their destiny? Why was man created in the first place, and why were Christians begotten with the Holy Spirit?

Please note the following quotes from chapter 8 of our free booklet, “The Mysteries of the Bible”:

“1 John 3:1–2 tells us: ‘Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.’

“God’s Word says that we will be LIKE Him. Many translations… state that we will be ‘equal with Him.’ To most people, the very concept that we can be ‘like’ or ‘equal with’ God is a great mystery! But Colossians 1:15 explains to us that Christ ‘is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.’ The Greek word for ‘image’ is ‘eikon.’ It means, ‘likeness, representation, profile.’ Christ said that he who sees Him sees the Father.

“As Christ is the image of God the Father, so we are to become the image of Christ. Romans 8:29 says: ‘For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.’… Paul elaborates further on the fantastic future change of man in 2 Corinthians 3:18: ‘But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord’…

“We will actually become God, that is, a God being—a full and total image of God the Father and Jesus Christ, much like a physical child is often recognized as being an image of his or her parents. Those who are called and chosen in this day and age are already [begotten] children of God, awaiting their change to a full Spirit being at the return of Christ.”

Our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” explains in much more detail what is in store for true Christians at the time of Christ’s return:

“Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 15:50: ‘Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.’ Are you still human? If so, you cannot inherit the Kingdom of God as you are. So then, how can we enter the Kingdom?… Paul explains in verses 51 and 52: ‘Behold, I tell you a mystery…we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.’ That is, how we can enter the Kingdom of God. Our human bodies need to be changed. But changed to what?

“Verses 42-49: ‘So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body…(verse 47) The first man [Adam] was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man [Jesus Christ] is the Lord from heaven…(verse 49) And as we have borne the image of the man of dust [human], we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man [spirit].’

“… the Bible is very clear that whoever is in the Kingdom of God must actually be God. We must become God beings, sharing in Christ’s glory, the firstborn of many brethren. That is indeed a mystery that only very few understand today—that God is a Family, consisting presently of God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ, but that God is enlarging His Family. We are already called His children, but we have not been glorified yet. And when we are glorified at the time of our resurrection to eternal life, we will be entering the Kingdom of God, as literal God beings, as glorified sons and daughters of God, made immortal… God the Father tells Jesus Christ in Genesis 1:26, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’ God is a Family, and when He created man, He began His awesome work of adding to His Family…That we are to become members of the God Family, or God beings, is clearly taught…

“In Psalm 17:15, we read about man’s potential: ‘As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.’ David understood that we will look like God when we are resurrected. Also [Philippians] 3:20-21: ‘For our citizenship is in heaven… [Our names are written in heaven, where God is. We belong to Him, we are His children. We belong to a different country, a heavenly government, which will come down to this earth when Christ returns.]…from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body.’ We already read that we shall bear the image of Christ, we will look like He does, in His glorified state.

“But more than that—we will actually BE GOD BEINGS…Those of you who are familiar with us know that we have been preaching this truth for a long time. Herbert W. Armstrong, the late human leader of the Church of God in the 20th century, wrote a book entitled, ‘Mystery of the Ages.’ On page 170, he wrote: ‘Consider why God created mankind in the first place. God is reproducing Himself through man. He is creating in Man God’s own perfect holy and righteous spiritual character. And that, in turn, is purposed to restore the government of God over all the earth. And further, to create BILLIONS OF GOD BEINGS …’

“This knowledge that it is man’s potential to become God has also been understood by several Christian authors over the centuries. In her book, ‘A History of God,’ former Catholic nun Karen Armstrong [not related to Herbert Armstrong], quotes several early professing Christian writers who believed and taught this truth. She writes on page 98: ‘Clement [of Alexandria, ca. 150-215 A.D.] also believed that Jesus was God… If Christians imitated Christ, they too would become deified: divine, incorruptible and impassable. Indeed, Christ had been the divine logos, who had become man, “so that you might learn from a man how to become God.”’

“She also quotes, on page 129, Maximus the Confessor, who lived from ca. 580-662, as saying, ‘The word was made flesh in order that “the whole human being would become God, deified by the grace of God become man.”’

“Theophilus (A.D. 115-181) wrote: ‘A man, by keeping the directions of God, may receive from Him immortality…and become God.’

“Further, the most recent Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, which was published in 1994 under the auspices of Pope John Paul II, states that the official Catholic position is, that man is to become God. Now this might not be very well known even among Catholics, but here are some quotes from the Catechism: “…For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.” “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods”’(pp. 128-129, Section 460. The last quote is attributed to Thomas of Aquinas.).”

The Bible reveals that God IS a Family, and that man has the potential to enter the God Family—the Kingdom of God—as born again members and Spirit beings. It is man’s potential to become God—to become, in that sense, “equal” with God. This is a great mystery which has been hidden from the overwhelming majority of non-Christians and professing Christians alike, but from time to time, certain aspects of this knowledge were understood and communicated.

Today, the true Church of God is preaching and proclaiming this tremendous understanding in all the world as a witness to all nations. True converted Christians, who are still alive at the time of Christ’s return, will be changed from physical beings to immortal God beings. They will become born-again members of the very Family of God. The same is true for those who died in Christ and who will be resurrected from the dead, when Christ returns. They will also enter the Family of God as immortal God beings at that time.

Those who have lived and died before Christ’s return, without ever having had an opportunity to accept Christ as their personal Savior and to receive the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, will be given such an opportunity at a later time—during the Second Resurrection or the “Great White Throne Judgment” period (compare Revelation 20:11-12). At that time, they can also fulfill their potential—if they make the right choice—to become immortal God beings in the Family of God. THAT IS why God created all of mankind—to become GOD–born-again members of the FAMILY OF GOD.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

A new StandingWatch program was posted on the Web, titled, “Today’s News in Bible Prophecy.” During a widely-published insightful interview, former influential German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt placed the world on notice as to what will transpire soon in important news developments. Amazingly, many of his predictions match biblical prophecy. But is the world listening? 

Norbert Link’s new sermon, “Rome’s Revivals,” was posted on the web.

A new German sermon was posted on the Web, titled “Die Welt der Engel, Teil 3” [“The World of Angels, Part 3”].