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China is practicing how to eliminate websites that contain information it does not want available:

China holds drill to shut down ‘harmful’ websites

August, 3  2017

HONG KONG (Reuters) – China held a drill on Thursday with internet service providers to practice taking down websites deemed harmful, as the country’s censors tighten control ahead of a sensitive five-yearly political reshuffle set to take place later this year.

Internet data centers (IDC) and cloud companies – which host website servers – were ordered to participate in a three-hour drill to hone their “emergency response” skills, according to at least four participants that included the operator of Microsoft’s cloud service in China.

China’s Ministry of Public Security called for the drill “in order to step up online security for the 19th Party Congress and tackle the problem of smaller websites illegally disseminating harmful information”, according to a document circulating online attributed to a cyber police unit in Guangzhou.

An officer who answered the phone in the Guangzhou public security bureau confirmed the drill but declined to elaborate.

President Xi Jinping has overseen a tightening of China’s cyberspace controls, including tough new data surveillance and censorship rules. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-internet-idUSKBN1AJ1XL

Drills are being conducted to quickly remove content and shut down websites that are not following the views the government wants out there.

China is doing more than having drills, and it is not the only country limiting internet access:

Amazon reminds cloud customers in China to avoid VPNs

August 3, 2017

Apple isn’t the only company that’s feeling the pressure from the Chinese government in its quest to limit internet access even further. According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon also had to tell its cloud-computing customers in China to delete their VPNs and other tools that can be used to bypass the country’s infamous firewall. Beijing Sinnet Technology, the tech giant’s local partner responsible for sending out the message to customers, cited requests from China’s public security ministry and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for the demands it made.

An Amazon spokesperson told WSJ that Sinnet had to do it, because it’s “responsible for ensuring that its customers in China comply with local laws.” The notice it sent was “intended to remind customers of their obligations.” When Apple pulled VPN apps from iTunes, it also said that it was required to drop them from the store, since the government’s new rules now require VPNs to obtain a license. https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/03/amazon-cloud-customers-china-vpn/

Putin bans VPN use in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law prohibiting the use of technology that provides access to websites banned in the country.

The law signed on Sunday is already approved by the Duma, the lower house of parliament, and will come into effect on November 1, 2017.

It will ban the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and other technologies, known as anonymisers, that allow people to surf the web anonymously.

Leonid Levin, the head of Duma’s information policy committee, has said the law is not intended to impose restrictions on law-abiding citizens but is meant only to block access to “unlawful content”, RIA news agency said.

The move follows a decision Apple made at the weekend to pull VPN apps from the App Store in China.

China has long operated the world’s most sophisticated online censorship mechanism, known as the Great Firewall, and the use of VPNs by residents provides a loophole which can be used to circumvent the country’s surveillance and blocking lists.

Popular social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, for example, are blocked in the country, with a pilot free-trade zone active in Shanghai in the past that allowed some access to such content, although still heavily restricted. http://www.zdnet.com/article/putin-bans-vpn-use-in-russia/

VPNs are “Virtual Private Networks” which allow users access to more of the internet than certain governments want people to have access to. The limiting of information on the internet is not limited to countries like Russia or China. Other Eurasian countries are also taking steps (see Internet censorship in Eurasia, what might Donald Trump do related to the USA?).

Those who think internet restrictions cannot happen in the West are deceiving themselves.

Do you think that government leaders, who do not base their lives on the Bible, really want people to hear the truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God? That simply is not a ‘politically-correct’ message for many in the 21st century. (Note: we have had our booklet, The Gospel of the Kingdom of God, translated into 100 languages–you can find them online–for now!–at www.ccog.org).

Consider also that since a court decision in 2002, Canada has restricted freedom to quote and cite the Bible (watch Canadian censoring of the Bible). It also passed a motion limiting giving one’s view of Islam (http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-24/canada-passes-blasphemy-bill-silence-critics-islam). Plus Canada has claimed authority to censor the internet in the USA (see Canada celebrates its 150th, but pushes internet and biblical censorship).

Europe also believes in various forms of censorship (see ZH: Europe’s Out-Of-Control Censorship). Germany, for example, has set fines for online companies like Facebook if they do not remove ‘objectionable’ content quickly enough (see Germany approves ‘same-sex marriage’ and sets fines for Facebook, etc. to crack down on ‘hate speech’).

What about the USA? Consider something that happened this past Spring:

On April 2, President Trump signed a bill passed last month releasing internet service providers (ISPs) like Verizon and AT&T from having to protect consumer data, in effect jeopardizing people’s privacy and opening them up to surveillance. …

Controlling dissent through censorship is a tried-and-true tactic of authoritarian governments, which have a long history of cracking down on newspapers, radio, and TV. Social media got a pass at first “because it’s new, and people who run these regimes are old,” says Joshua Tucker, a politics professor at New York University who specializes in Russian and Slavic studies. Now, he says, restrictive governments recognize that “it is important to control because of its importance for protest.” …

In 2016, Freedom House ranked the US as having one of the most free webs in the world. Trump’s first 100 days are likely to knock it down a few rungs. “Specific steps have been taken that provide us with reasonable grounds to consider downgrading” the US, says White, although at this point they “can’t tell by how much.” Now Freedom House lists the US under “countries to watch,” along with Zimbabwe, the Philippines, and Denmark. With countries around the world reconsidering their internet freedoms, democracy falters. https://backchannel.com/the-us-is-now-one-of-those-countries-threatening-the-free-web-a9fa304f4198

Yet, do not think that internet censorship in the USA is just something linked to the Trump Administration. Back in May of 2016 (during the Obama Administration), new internet censorship plans were announced by the USA and Europe (see USA and EU announce new internet censorship plans).

And then there is the ‘politically-correct’ type of censorship that entities like Twitter and Facebook do on their own (see Facebook and Twitter being called out for censorship and ‘Internal Documents Reveal Bizarre Facebook Rules for Censorship of ‘Hate Speech’’).

11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)

Notice that the Bible tells of a time that will come when the word of God will not be found. I do not believe that this means that there will be no more Bibles–but that those wanting to better understand it will have trouble finding explanations.

Amos is referring to something as dramatic as having truth being scarce. In the 21st century that logically would point to it being taken off the internet. In the 21st century, the internet is accessed by people in every country, and thus some type of internet restriction/suspension/site removal is coming–more than what we have seen thus far. Various governmental and other leaders will find certain Church of God explanations of scripture too “extreme” and work to remove explanations from the internet.

The Bible tells of a time of control of worship and finances and persecution:

5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. …

11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people.

14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666. (Revelation 13:5-8, 11-18, ESV)

We are getting closer to this time. More and more are starting to see that there are plans to censor speech from the internet as well as to digitize cash so it, too, can be monitored electronically (watch also Sweden going to ‘666’ cashlessness?). The USA itself has in essence given away control of the internet to foreigners already (see USA giving away control of the Internet: a step towards Amos 8:11-12 and 666?).

Because of biblical prophecies and actions in the world, we in the Continuing Church of God are preparing for the ‘short work’ (Romans 9:28) and the coming ‘famine of the word.’

This increasing censorship will one day be part of the coming famine of the word that the prophet Amos foretold.

Consider, however, that Jesus said:

4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. (John 9:4)

Philadelphian Christians want to respond to the doors that Christ opens to proclaim the gospel (2 Corinthians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 16:8-9; Colossians 4:2-4) and do the work. We will stand up for the truth, despite realizing that the ‘famine of the word’ that the prophet Amos referred to is coming. We must do the work and persevere to the end.

Jesus warned:

12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. (Matthew 24:12-13)

Officials in governments around the world do not respect the laws of the Bible and push their own morality. Sadly, this has affected many–though the faithful who endure will be saved.

Currently, it is still time to:

1 Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)

Which is part of what we in the Continuing Church of God are doing. We have denounced, not only sins that the world sometimes seems to consider politically correct, but also sins that many claimed COGs will not do, because of their own concerns about their political fates (watch CCOG, a corporation sole, not a 501(c)(3)) and/or fates that could happen if they offended their financial supporters if they told the truth to truly fulfill Isaiah 58:1 (e.g. Are Violent Sports Evil?).

Furthermore, notice something that Jesus prophesied:

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

We in the Continuing Church of God are diligently preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. The time will come when this will be considered sufficiently “politically-incorrect” or “hate-speech” that some pretense to stop it from being proclaimed on the internet will be used by one or more governments. But since Jesus said that this Kingdom of God will preached to the world as a witness, that the type of witness God wants to have happen will come to pass–and then the end will come. It will be after that witness that the ‘famine of the word’ that Amos spoke of will come to pass AND the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) will begin.

Many in and out of the government have plans and are watching the internet with plans to deal with materials that they some day hope to silence. Sadly, the type of society that George Orwell wrote about is taking shape. Many realize it, but do not know what do to about it. But many can be called now (see What Did Christ Mean – Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen?).

Yet, there is good news as Jesus will return and the Kingdom of God will come and replace the Beast’s controlling system (Revelation 13:16-18) that we see being put together today. And have no doubts, the type of Babylonian Beast society that the Bible warned about for the end times is truly taking shape. More and more government proposals are consistent with this.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Canadian censoring of the Bible In 2017, Lauri Skori of the Battle River School board told a religious school in Alberta, Canada that it could not teach/read certain portions of the Bible. In 2002, a court in Canada ruled against one who referred to certain scriptures that some homosexuals objected to. In 2017, there was “An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code” related to those who wish to be considered transgendered. Government officials in Canada and elsewhere have been ruling against the Bible. Is any of this prophesied? Will this get worse? What was the prophet Amos inspired to write? This is a video.
Sweden going to ‘666’ cashlessness? Sweden continues to reduce the amount of currency notes and coins in circulation as more and more Swedes turn to digital forms of payments. Even ‘farmers’ markets’ take debit and credit cards. Will this eliminate crime or lead to the rise of the Beast and Antichrist power? Could what is happening in Sweden be a prelude to the control of buying and selling that Revelation 13:16-18 associates with 666? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues from Stockholm, Sweden.
Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders? A related sermon is available titled Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
Are You Being Called by God? Norman Shoaf wrote various points to consider.
Is God Calling You? Alfred E Carrozzo wrote this.
What Did Christ Mean – Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen? This article was by Raymond McNair.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
When You Sin: Do You Really Repent? This is an article by Charles F. Hunting. A related sermon is Confess to God and truly repent.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
Are You Being Called by God? Norman Shoaf wrote various points to consider.
Is God Calling You? Alfred E Carrozzo wrote this.
What Did Christ Mean – Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen? This article was by Raymond McNair.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots. They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 17 Laodicean Errors in Prophecy.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters Where did the Chinese people come from? This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel. Here is a link to a version of this article in Spanish: ¿Prueban los caracteres chinos la exactitud de la Biblia?
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for Asia? Who are the “Kings of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon? A YouTube video of interest may be Is China THE Threat to the United States of America?
The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy Is there a Eurasian union that will be formed? Is one being formed right now? Are any leaders working on that in the 21st century? Does the Bible teach that there will be a Eurasian union? If some type of Eurasian union is formed, who might it benefit and who will it destroy? A related video would be Is The Eurasian Union Rising?
Canada in Prophecy: What Does Bible Prophecy, Catholic Prophecy, and other Predictions Suggest About the Future of Canada? There are prophecies that suggest involvement with Canada. And many are not positive about its future.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. A video of possible interest may be Will Will USA Spying Help the Beast Power?
Leading the Final Phase of the Work Matthew 24:14 teaches “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come ” will be fulfilled and RCG is not the group doing this. Who is leading the final phase of the work? What did Herbert Armstrong and the old WCG teach about that and about prophets? Does Bob Thiel meet the criteria that the Bible and the old WCG set? What is the proof? What has the Continuing Church of God been doing? This is a sermonette length video.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
Internet Control, Famine of the Word, and 666 On October 1, 2016, the USA officially relinquished control over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), despite objections from certain political leaders and former military officials. Might this lead to more censorship, imposition on non-biblical ‘community standards,’ and loss of first amendment rights? Could this transfer of control have any prophetic ramifications? Will the internet be a factor in the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28 and the coming ‘famine of the word’ that the Prophet Amos warned about? Will internet control be something that the 666 power will have? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters and more in this video.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy past Daniel 11:39? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin?
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 3rd, 2017 at 2:30 pm and is filed under Prophecy.

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