The recent German federal election, held on February 23, proved to be a real thriller. The election campaign itself, in which all parties were involved, can only be described as a farce. With each party attacking the others, and candidates fighting for every vote, the campaigns of the long-established parties were full of lies and deceit. Election programs were copied and declared as their own; and in the TV shows, the questions were constructed in such a way as to defame others. Every politician fought for his own power, and many voters were ultimately cheated of what they wanted to obtain.

However, it was interesting to see that voter participation had not been as high in almost 40 years as it was on that day. At the end of February, I read the following article on zdf.de: “An extremely polarizing election campaign and overlapping domestic and foreign policy crises have pushed voter participation in Sunday’s federal election to its highest level in almost 40 years… According to the preliminary results published early Monday morning, it was 82.5 percent.”

That is indeed enormous. Therefore, about 48.84 million people, out of 59.2 million eligible voters, participated in the election. Needless to say, they did not all vote for the same candidate, but for different parties and people.

This shows how desperate people are in Germany and, of course, all over the world. For many decades, people have been taken for fools by politicians, cheated, lied to and robbed of their possessions through various forms of expropriation; they have been arbitrarily imprisoned, made ill and even killed as a result of vaccinations. TODAY, however, people are turning a blind eye to this and want the whole scenario to be quickly forgotten. But God will not forget anything unless there is sincere repentance.

We know that Satan is behind all of this, as we can read in the Book of Revelation, in the 12th chapter and in verse 9: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world…” And Paul explains in his letter to the Romans, in chapter 8 and verse 22: “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”

Even back then, during the 430 years of the Israelites’ captivity in Egypt, the world was in a state of disorder, and when the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, unfortunately their voter participation for God was not 82.5%. On the contrary, well over 90% voted against God. They constantly complained, murmured, and were not particularly blessed because of their disobedience. This, of course, increased the discontent of the Israelites until they finally decided to completely reject Jesus Christ as their Savior and King. Note 1 Samuel 8:1-22.

Yes, the world is still in a state of disorder today, but now at the beginning of sorrows. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are riding ever faster, more violently and more corruptly, until it will ultimately come to a triumph when our Savior JESUS CHRIST returns to earth and puts an end to all this madness.

But before that happens, true Christians still have some time to dwell here, and as Paul so fittingly wrote, they live in the midst of a perverse and crooked generation. In this context, Paul warns us not to behave like the ancient Israelites, and that we should remain steadfast and be counted worthy.

He wrote the following in Philippians 2:14-16: “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”

Of course, we don’t want any of God’s called elders and pastors to have run in vain or labored in vain for the gospel of Christ and the salvation of the brethren. Christ commanded Peter to tend His sheep, and this task is entrusted to the elders and pastors today. We must therefore all remain steadfast, today more than ever, because the time that remains for us until the return of Christ is indeed extremely short!

Let us therefore constantly strive to ensure that our voter participation for God the Father and Jesus Christ is 100%.

Initial translation from German: Daniel Blasinger

Very bad conditions prevail throughout the world. Apart from the incompetence of all politicians, the tax madness and the wars in this world, there is a very specific matter that makes me so upset that anger and a deep sadness over these barbaric acts of humanity towards animals arise in me.

Recently, our Current Events, published on December 27, 2024 (Update 1139), featured a heartbreaking article about Bua Noi, a gorilla in Thailand. I was so devastated by it that I had to cry.

The Sun wrote on December 20:

“[Thailand’s only gorilla] Bua Noi has lived behind bars in [Bangkok] Thailand for most of her life… The gorilla has been caged up [for more than three decades] in the widely criticised Pata Zoo which is located on the sixth and seventh floor above a [desolate and decaying city center shopping mall]. This allows passers-by and shoppers to gaze in at the unloved mammal who is unable to ever leave… A damning report back in 2019 detailed how Bua had been pulling out her hair and anxiously rolling around in her isolated cage. Footage also shows the lonely gorilla looking visibly depressed and staring through the bars of her old cage.”

This is brute force for no reason! This is animal abuse that causes a lot of suffering!

Animal welfare organizations like PETA have desperately tried to free the gorilla in Thailand from this disgusting facility; unfortunately so far without success, because the “owner” only wants to release the gorilla for a horrendous amount of money. I cannot understand how a person owning such a disgusting enclosure can be so heartless to this gorilla, as well as to many other beautiful creatures of God.

The German Animal Protection Act requires us to protect the “life and well-being” of animals: “No one may inflict pain, suffering or harm on an animal without reasonable cause,” Section 1, Principle). Anyone who keeps an animal must, according to this law, ensure that it is fed, cared for and housed in a manner appropriate to the needs of its species (Section 2; 2a). Unfortunately, this does not happen very often in this world, including in Germany.

Animals may have instincts and are unable to reason to the same extent, as God has endowed this quality on humans, but they do have feelings, they have empathy, and they can express their joy beyond measure. A dog, for example, is a friend of humans and can be a true protector. It can also give people joy and make them laugh. And of course, many other animals can do that too.

In our Current Events, published on October 29, 2021 (Update 994), we also read: “Fauci is under fire for allegedly funding experiments where beagle puppies were locked in cages with hungry sandflies that would eat them alive…

“The organization claims that as many as 44 beagle puppies were used as part of the cruel experiment in a Tunisia laboratory. Some of the dogs allegedly had their vocal cords removed to muzzle their barking. ‘Our investigators show that Fauci’s NIH division shipped part of a $375,800 grant to a lab in Tunisia…”

And in the issue of our Current Events, dated February 11, 2022 (Update 1009), we published an article from Life News dated February 4 that stated: “Recently, the University of Pittsburgh continued to defend its gruesome experiments involving implanting aborted babies’ scalps onto rodents and other research with aborted baby body parts…”

There are many more articles about animal abuse in this cruel world. To put it mildly, what is being done to animals is very bad, and we can consider ourselves “lucky”, that there are many animal welfare organizations that take care of these creatures of God, some of them on a voluntary basis. Animals are creatures of God that should be treated with love and respect.

In Genesis 1:20-25 we read: “Then God said, ‘Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.’ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind’; and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”

God saw that everything He had created was good. We would even argue that everything He has created is perfect. Yet humanity cannot comprehend this wonderful creation because Satan the devil, that serpent of old who is the adversary, has brought the entire world under his evil spell and bewitched it. But God sees everything that is happening on this earth, whether it is good or evil!

David already had this knowledge and wrote it down in Psalm 14:2-3: “The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.”

In Psalm 11:4-6 we read: “The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind Shall be the portion of their cup.”

That will be their just reward when Christ returns to this earth, for all these and many more terrible deeds that mankind has done.

Revelation 11:18 shows the following: “The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead [better: the living], that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

Let’s take a look into the future, at what awaits us with Christ in the Millennium and beyond– a world full of peace, with humans unified in peace with the animals, which are to be treated with care and mindfulness, as God intended from the beginning. And let’s look at what the Bible, God’s Word, prophesies for the animals in the future:

“The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:7-9).

“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,’ Says the LORD” (Isaiah 65:25).

These are firm promises from God for our future, which we proclaim today! The Church of the Eternal God in the USA, the Kirche des Ewigen Gottes in Germany and all their affiliated organizations around the world proclaim exactly this Kingdom of Peace that will be established over the entire earth in the near future. Let us see what Isaiah has written for us today, in Isaiah 52:7-8: “How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’ Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the LORD [Christ] brings back Zion [Jerusalem].”

That is exactly what we are doing today. Day by day, week by week, month by month and year by year, we are relentlessly working to make people aware of the desperate state the world is in and why—because man continually breaks God’s law. It is time to wake up and escape the trance of darkness in order to open oneself to God!

Let us all continue to fulfill our duties to become worthy so that when Christ comes, He can say to us: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:23).

Initial translation from the German: Daniel Blasinger

There are currently many people around me suffering from sickness, be it in the family, among relatives, friends, brethren or acquaintances, as well as among colleagues at work.

Sadly, illnesses have existed for a very long time and are also part of the consequence of sin, which began with Eve choosing to eat the forbidden fruit. Satan’s direct involvement can of course also be responsible for illnesses. We read Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:7: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” Paul suffered from some kind of illness that is not described here in detail.

Job also had to suffer much, albeit because of his arrogance, through a direct attack by Satan. We can see from Job 1:6-12 that whatever Satan attacks always turns into evil. Verse 12 confirms that its outcome is in Satan’s hands: “The LORD said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands…’” (New International Version). But Satan can only work to a certain extent, and we read this in the same verse as follows: “… only do not lay a hand on his person.”

Leprosy is a very serious disease. It is said that leprosy is one of the oldest known diseases and has been described for around 4,000 years. Because of the distinctive skin lesions, the disease became known as leprosy. We read about it for the first time in Leviticus 13:1-3. Whether this disease has been brought under medical control is highly questionable.

Many of our brethren also suffer from a wide variety of diseases, such as cancer, which comes in many different forms. Others have been suffering for years from diabetes or severe back pain, knee and hip problems, allergies and so much more. My wife suffers from many different illnesses. I personally suffered from a pulmonary embolism caused by thrombosis. Initially, I had to take a blood thinner from the pharmaceutical industry, which unfortunately had countless side effects. But through the advice of endearing brethren, I was able to use natural remedies made from plants created by God, which, with God’s help, meant that firstly, I no longer needed thrombosis stockings and secondly, the blood clot was able to dissolve.

God has created all kinds of plants and herbs to heal many diseases. The Bible gives us a glimpse that there were physicians in both the Old and New Testaments (compare Genesis 50:2 and Colossians 4:14). Although the Bible does not mention much about healing with herbs or other natural substances, there are some accounts, and we may assume that competent physicians made use of natural remedies or ointments and oils.

Isaiah 1:6 records that ointments were used for relief. Luke 10:34 shows that oil and wine were used to disinfect and treat wounds. Treatment with natural eye salve and balm was also known (compare Jeremiah 8:22 and Revelation 3:18). We also read about a poultice made of figs for boils to induce healing (compare Isaiah 38:21). In the future, leaves from all kinds of fruitful trees will also be used as healing medicines (compare Ezekiel 47:12).

It is even claimed that pomegranates can cure many different cancers, but they are also said to be very helpful for healing wounds. And there are over thousands of different plants and herbs that can help.

God has brethren ordained as ministers, including for the purpose of anointing the sick with oil for healing. Now, of course, the oil has no healing effect in this respect; it is symbolic of the Holy Spirit of power, through which God brings about healing. Although complete healing does not always occur immediately, we know that it is up to God’s Will how and whether He will heal someone later, today, or in the near future.

You might ask yourself: “Why do I have to suffer so much, even though I pray so often for healing, have faith in healing, or even fast for it?” Paul received his answer from Christ after he had prayed to Him three times for healing: “And [Christ] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

God could, of course, deliver us from all our sickness and pain in the blink of an eye, but if this doesn’t happen, then God has chosen to wait a little longer, and whatever His motives are, we will find out in due time. As long as we are not healed of our sicknesses, patience and perseverance are another test for us.

We must not let up, give up, or doubt that God will help. James 5:13-15 tells us: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

But James 1:6-8 also admonishes us: “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Everything comes from God. Only, we need to have faith and trust in Him.

(Initial translation: Daniel Blasinger)

Recently I went with my wife to Ramona, California, in order to attend our annual Church Conference, where we discussed, among other things, different church organizations in the body of Christ. It was very nice to see many brethren again and to once again have the chance to welcome them with open arms after such a long time. For some, it had been over 13 years since I had seen them in person, for others a little less. And yet, it is always a great feeling to be able to reunite with brethren and their families.

In August 2008, the Church of the Eternal God broadcasted the program “AufPostenStehen” in Germany for the first time, and my initial contact with the Church took place in October of the same year. Then, in September 2009, we were baptized in Ramona and had our Church wedding at the Feast of Tabernacles in San Diego in October.

The Church of the Eternal God, operating as the Kirche des Ewigen Gottes in Germany, grew steadily with new members, and each year more and more were baptized. This means that God has called some out of this terrible world to bring them as firstfruits into the Family of God. Not only was it a wonderful feeling to see the growing membership; it was overwhelming to understand the power with which God is working in us, leading us and revealing His Truth to us.

But being a member of God’s Family means having responsibility, sincerity, faithfulness, sacrifice, consistency, love, humility and fear of the Lord our God. This implies that we all have a task to fulfill and to do it steadfastly until the return of Christ, exactly in the place where God has planted us. Thus, if we have been called into the Church of the Eternal God or its affiliated international organizations, then we have an obligation to it— unless the Truth would no longer be fully preached there!

But in the nearly 15 years that my wife and I have been in the Church of the Eternal God, we have repeatedly seen brethren leaving us and resigning from the Church. Some left because of selfishness, pride, wrong ideas or resentment towards other members, and even because of personal disputes with the ministry.

Some of them have left for other church groups that emerged from the [now defunct] Worldwide Church of God after the death of the human leader, Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong; or they have left the Way of God altogether.

It must be understood that many different groups have arisen because they no longer agree with the doctrines of God’s Truth. Some leaders and their members have developed their own ideas and no longer teach the plain truth. They have become lukewarm. Others have formed church organizations out of pride, greed and job preservation, looking for members, or acting for other nonsensical reasons.

Why would one do that? Why do people leave the part of the body of Christ into which they were baptized, even though the Truth of God is still taught there without compromise? Quite possibly, to avoid having to deal honestly with their underlying personal problems!

Or could God have made a mistake? Is it simply no longer fashionable to remain faithful to the part of the body of Christ that is endowed with the Spirit of Philadelphia, to which God has called us?

Would it actually be a good alternative to simply walk away from one’s commitment of remaining faithful to one’s God-ordained place and instead move on to another church organization—one that may be part of the body of Christ but does not manifest the same enthusiasm and love for the Truth; that has compromised with the Truth; or that does not fulfill the Church commission of proclaiming the gospel as a witness? Or would it be a bad compromise?

Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12:13, 24-25, 27: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit… But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another… Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”

And Christ tells us in John 15:1, 5: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser… I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Personally, I see these statements with a very special emphasis.

If we cut ourselves off as a branch from the sweet vine of God for personal reasons or problems and try to cling to “another vine” that does not bear the same fruit, or if we move to an opposite vineyard, we may produce fruit, but it will never be the same as it was before and was expected of us.

So, leaving the Church organization that has remained faithful to the Truth is, in most cases, a bad compromise!

We must understand that God does not make mistakes. God is perfect in everything He does.  David, inspired by God, wrote in Psalm 18:30: “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

In Mr. Michael Link’s Editorial from October 29, 2020, he said: “We must NEVER leave Him out of the picture, but put matters into His hands (Jeremiah 17:5-8). This is very difficult to do at times, especially in the heat of the moment. We must keep our heads high and look to God for help.”

And finally, let us remember one thing: “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

We must therefore ensure that we remain faithful to God’s assignment to the part of His body that He has ordained for us, provided that the perfect Truth from God’s Word continues to be preached there!

Initial translation from German: Daniel Blasinger

Every now and then, we come across people whose behavior leaves us speechless. There is so much madness happening all over the world that I sometimes ask myself: “Is this the character of the person or is he completely deceived by Satan?” Many people around the world seem to shut their eyes to the absurdity of what is happening around us and simply accept what is about to happen even if they could change it.

We as Christians know what is coming to the world at large, and to us as well, and that Satan is the deceiver of this world. Revelation 12:9 says: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

We have been teaching time and again that it is very dangerous to become lazy, overconfident, selfish, or even arrogant, and that a person will never find their way out of the mire of self-deception on their own. We also have been explaining repeatedly that a deceived person does not know that he is deceived.

However, we are obligated to make sure that we recognize Satan’s tactics of deception, and we know that we can counter them with the power of God. We must ensure that Satan’s deception does not take hold of our hearts and trick us into believing that the wrong way is righteous and good. 

Solomon warns us firmly against this in Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

So, what would be a good remedy to get to the bottom of Satan’s deception, even if we do not know whether we are deceived?

One of the best remedies is “Humility and the Fear of the LORD.”

In the fifth book of Psalms, we read in chapter 111 and verse 10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Solomon had the same insight in Proverbs 1:7, where he wrote: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…”

It is through the power of God, through our humility and through the fear of the LORD that God will help us to obtain the possibility of understanding and open our eyes to whether there is something wrong in our hearts and whether something can or should be improved.

If we neither have nor desire this humility and the fear of the LORD in us, there is a terrible answer: “Because they hated knowledge And did not choose to fear the LORD, They would have none of my counsel And despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, And be filled to the full with their own fancies” (Proverbs 1:29-31).

Another method to recognize possible deception is “Self-Examination.”

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”

James also explains to us in James 1:22-25 that we must be on our guard against precisely this kind of self-deception:

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

We should always keep in mind that love is the supreme characteristic of God’s perfect law.

It is therefore crucial that we all examine ourselves again and again. Let’s try to have a genuine look in the mirror and take a close look at ourselves and ask ourselves: “Am I pleasing God and Jesus Christ with my lifestyle? Is everything really okay, or am I doing something wrong? Should I change something about myself?”

If we ask God for His help, we might easily come to a new realization. There is always something to do within and about us!

I truly wish all of us the strength and courage to take a good look at our mirror image and gain new insights.

Initial Translation from the German: Daniel Blasinger

These words, “You have to stay strong”, can easily be uttered by outsiders, when the affected person is clearly suffering under certain circumstances.

One might try to strengthen the other person with these words, but whether that alone will help is debatable. And sometimes, I come across people who simply ask, “How are you?” as they walk by, and without paying any attention to my response, they either do not reply at all or just say, “…then take care”.

The world has become very short-lived in its actions, and nobody seems to have any honest care for their neighbor. Society in my neighborhood has changed a lot for the worse, and I would even say that this applies to the whole world.

Not only have people become very superficial and almost everyone thinks only of themselves, but also antisemitism has returned in the most brutal way all over the world. I would argue that antisemitism never went away, it just, for a brief period, didn’t manifest itself to the outside world, and sadly, this condition only lasted for a generation. The words, “We must never forget,” are of no special value.

For true Christians, it is not difficult to recognize that this world is ruled by none other than Satan, who is also called the Devil, the dragon, and the old serpent.

Personally, I have never heard so many war reports in my entire life as these days, and I have to admit that it makes me, as well as certainly others, sad, angry and worried, when I think about it or see or hear about it in the media – but then again, I am also at the same time hopeful in anticipation of the coming of Christ, that it will happen soon after all. It’s all like a merry-go-round of emotions.

And then I ask myself: “Am I even ready for the coming of Christ? And how will I then stand before Him? Will I even be worthy before Him? Will I fail miserably by then or will I remain strong in this last dramatic time?”

We could very well face terrible wars, persecution, betrayal of our own brothers and sisters, and even persecution from our own family. And we must constantly remind ourselves that Jesus Christ pointed out the following to us in the Bible:

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

These are precisely the times we are currently experiencing; nevertheless, it is not yet the end, but the beginning of sorrows. And then, Christ said:

“‘Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:9-13).

This message from Christ does not seem to point to a rosy future. One factor or another can cause somebody to lose their balance completely, so they may run out of inner strength and fail miserably. Many will have to go through a terrible and merciless tribulation after falling away from the Truth. Some will be able to come out of this tribulation, as Christ tells us; but others may indeed fail and even end up fighting a hateful and murderous battle against God until their ultimate bitter destruction.

We read in Revelation 7:4-9 that of all the tribes of Israel, 144,000 will come out of this tribulation and will be sealed, as well as a great multitude which no one could number. But then we also read in Revelation 16:9-11 about people filled with hate who blaspheme God despite great plagues and pain.

It must be absolutely clear to us: “But he who endures [and stays strong] to the end shall be saved.”

But we cannot do this by our own strength, as we have already learned from the Word of God. We need God’s power, His help and strength. This can only be achieved through prayer, Bible study and thinking about what we have read, occasional fasting and strong faith without any doubts. And we must be there with and for each other, for we all have one faith, one hope, one confidence, one love, one Lord, one God and one Spirit of power in us.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul wrote the following words, which also have great significance for us today:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit [which] dwells in us” (2 Timothy 1:7-14).

All in all, this means for each and every one of us: “You must stay strong!”

Initial translation: Daniel Blasinger

Some time ago, I found myself in the middle of a debate on how to behave towards other people. I mentioned the need for respect towards other people and that one should express oneself well and carefully by choosing one’s words without being hurtful.

My counterpart responded: “I just am who I am.”

This statement was very disappointing to me at that moment, showing a lack of respect and making it clear that there was a complete unwillingness to make a necessary change.

Unwillingness to change also means that one is not prepared to look at one’s reflection in the mirror to examine oneself, and to alter existing faults.

Conducting one’s life in such a way shows an utter indifference to other fellow human beings and a lack of concern for the behavior towards them, and such a person has no place in the Kingdom of God, for he literally would stop at nothing, thus making himself hideous. His heart is cold, and he will not find true peace in this cruel world; something that Christ wants to give us.

In Romans 12:2, Paul wrote: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

This is precisely what we are to do as true Christians: We must critically examine ourselves to see if there is not some bad characteristic clinging to or in us that needs to be banned from our lives. It does not matter how long we have been part of the Body of Christ, regardless of whether we have been converted Christians for 10, 20, 40 or even more than 50 years.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, chapter 13 and verse 5: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified.” There is simply no age limit for this since self-examination is a lifelong process.

Being respectful to our fellow human beings, and showing kindness and helpfulness, is a huge responsibility that God bestows upon us, especially among true Christians. If we develop such respect for others, God will be very pleased with us. And how to cultivate such respect is explained by David in his Psalms: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever” (Psalm 111:10).

Christ expects us to interact properly with our fellow human beings, and He is the supreme role model for us that ever walked the earth as a human being, for He set an example of what is good and had it written down for the end time, for He was the light of the world (compare John 8:12).  He also taught several times, that “[n]o one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33). And He also tells us: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).

It is everyone’s own decision, how bright and beautiful this light is radiating from us; however, we must ensure that it glows powerfully both within and out of us. When it does shine brightly within us and people recognize this, then we will be beautiful to look at, for this beauty does indeed come from within us!

Initial Translation: Daniel Blasinger