Church of God News

COGwriter

The EU is trying to be more influential:

EU seeks to extend global reach

The choices made by voters in next month’s European Parliament elections will have an influence – albeit indirect – on EU foreign policy. European affairs analyst William Horsley examines how MEPs now have a bigger voice on the global stage. Today opinion polls show that most people across Europe think decisions on foreign policy should be taken jointly within the European Union, rather than by national governments alone. In 1999 European leaders were spurred into action by the shame of having to rely on superior US military power to defeat the Serbian armed forces and stop the ethnic cleansing of Albanians in Kosovo, in Europe’s own backyard. They agreed to beef up the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy with extra security and defence ambitions. They said that Europe must have “the capacity for autonomous action, backed up by credible military forces” for crisis management and even for peace-making. In practice the daily coordination of policies among officials or ministers of the EU member states means that Brussels, rather than the various national capitals, is Europe’s centre of decision-making on most cross-border and international issues. These range from combating terrorism to energy security. ‘Pooled sovereignty’ Yet Europe’s experiment in “pooling sovereignty” among 27 countries is poorly understood by EU citizens… Global role Javier Solana is the EU’s veteran High Representative for Foreign Policy. Members of his team talk confidently of the EU as an indispensible power, whose crisis management is needed to deal with the world’s big conflicts and disputes, wherever they occur. It is a bold claim. But the Council of the EU, which brings together ministers from the 27 member states, already acts like a fledgling European foreign ministry. It coordinates policy on a host of international issues. From their headquarters in a landmark pink granite building in Brussels, Council officials list some recent EU achievements: • Resolving the war between Russia and Georgia last August. Taking the lead for the international community in dealing with Iran to contain its nuclear ambitions. Playing a key part in drawing up and funding the “roadmap” for Middle East peace based on a two-state solution for Israel and a Palestinian state. Deploying more than 20 missions worldwide in response to crises, from Kosovo to a new naval mission to deter piracy off the Somali coast. Yet the EU also has severe critics, inside Europe and beyond, for whom its actions on the world stage are timid, confused or misguided. They say: That the EU is a paper tiger which has allowed Russia to claim a “sphere of privileged interest” throughout the former Soviet space. Europe’s internal divisions and its energy dependence on Russia encouraged Moscow to impose its will by force in the dispute with Georgia over breakaway South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Now other countries in the region also live in fear. In Afghanistan the Europeans, with some exceptions, have been risk-averse, sending too few combat troops to help America win a vital battle against global terrorism. The EU has been too obsessed with building structures for itself that duplicate those of Nato, but has failed to show the “beef” by adding to Europe’s real military capabilities.  Thursday, 14 May 2009 by William Horsley  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8049686.stm

The EU is still not ready to dominate the world scene, but biblical and other prophecies show that this is what is expected.  It is developing certain capabilities (Galileo and the Large Hadron Collider) that may ultimately cause the world to be in awe of its military capabilities (Revelation 13:3-10) next decade.

For more information about that, please see the following three articles:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? What is ahead for Europe?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies 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?
Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?

COGwriter

President Obama is determined to push through some type of nationalized health care now as he stated, “The stars are aligned”:

13 May 2009…The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives has assured President Barack Obama that legislation to reform the country’s health care system will be considered by congress this summer…

Mr. Obama praised the Speaker for what he called her “urgency and determination” in moving the legislation forward. He said the slumping economy makes reforming the U.S. health care system an urgent matter.

“We have got to get this done,” President Obama said. “We have got to get it done this year. We have got to get it done this year, both in the House and in the Senate, and we do not have any excuses. The stars are aligned.”

This was the third straight day that Mr. Obama held meetings on health care reform…

Neither the president nor the speaker gave details of what might be included in the legislation. An estimated 50 million Americans do not have health insurance.

A U.S. report released Tuesday says the two main government assistance programs for older Americans are in danger of collapsing. It says the Medicare health insurance program will be unable to pay its bills by 2017, and Social Security, which supplements retirees’ incomes, will run out of money in 2037. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-13-voa50.cfm

I was speaking with a woman recently who told me that some astrologer that she and others respected said that Barack Obama would bring the new age of peace that those in the New Age Movement are expecting.  I, instead, told her that one or more false ages of peace will be declared until peace ultimately arrives (the real age of peace will be the millennium, for some details, please see the article Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?).

Now while Barack Obama was probably just using an expression when he stated that “The stars are aligned”, there are millions who follow astrology and who would consider that a good thing for the him to say.

The Bible, of course, has a different view:

2 Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them. (Jeremiah 10:2)

10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. 14 For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you. (Deuteronomy 18:10-14)

Perhaps I should mention that any national health care plan will likely ultimately increase USA debt.  Thousands of years ago, God inspired the Prophet Habakkuk to write:

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry…
6 “Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases
What is not his–how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’? 7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty. 8 Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you. (Habakkuk 2:3,6-8)

The above prophecy will be fulfilled at the time of the end. No nation has gotten itself into as much total debt as the USA.  And no other nation seems to be determined to increase their debt by an amount close to that which the USA seems to be intent to increase its debt.

Instead of looking to the stars, the President may wish to more closely study the Bible.  Notice what else the Bible teaches about those who rely on astrology:

12 “Stand now with your enchantments
And the multitude of your sorceries,
In which you have labored from your youth–
Perhaps you will be able to profit,
Perhaps you will prevail.
13 You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels;
Let now the astrologers, the stargazers,
And the monthly prognosticators
Stand up and save you
From what shall come upon you.
14 Behold, they shall be as stubble,
The fire shall burn them;
They shall not deliver themselves
From the power of the flame (Isaiah 47:12-14).

Astrologers will NOT save America.  God can save America if Americans will repent.  But even if the nation will not, you personally can.  Do not wait until it is too late.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Are You Saved? Do You Love Jesus? What is a True Christian? What is the Gospel? Evangelist Richard Ames answers those important questions.
Prophecies of Barack Obama? This article gives eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. This article includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist?  Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests?  This is the longest and most complete article on this page on Barack Obama prophecies. Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”. Might Bible prophecy be fulfilled if he is elected president?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Barack Obama Carries Hindu Monkey God Although there are some strange and false stories about Barack Obama, this one seems to be true.
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?
ny of their predictions will be looked to in the 21st century.
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradaumus prophecies have any value here?  How might world leaders be involved?  Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?

Rebuilt Gymnasium in Sardis

COGwriter

CG7-Denver made three news announcements:

1. It changed the name of its newsletter from Pulse to Churchright.
2. Calvin Burrell has left his post as the Director of Ministries Training System at CG7.
3. Larry Marrs is the new Director of Ministries Training System at CG7.

Calvin Burrell was once the president of CG7.  But he has stayed actively involved since leaving that post.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

The Sardis Church Era was predominant circa 1600 A.D. to circa 1933 A.D. Discusses early history of the Seventh Day Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, and COG-7th Day.
Church of God, Seventh Day: History and Teachings Nearly all COG’s I am aware of trace their history through this group. Whaid Rose is the president of the largest CG7 group (Denver). Do you know much about them?
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to more easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG members or any interested in supporting the faithful church. It also explains a lot of what the COGs are all about.

A photostatic copy of a page from Ilustração Portugueza, October 29, 1917, showing the crowd looking up

COGWriter

Today is the Roman Catholic feast day for “Our Lady of Fatima”.

Here is some of what the Catholics have reported about it:

May 13

Our Lady of Fatima

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. (See February 20 entry for Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto).

Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners and for the conversion of Russia…

Mary gave the children three secrets. Since Francisco died in 1919 and Jacinta the following year, Lucia, who later became a Carmelite nun, revealed the first secret in 1927, concerning devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary….

Pope John Paul II directed the Holy See’s Secretary of State to reveal the third secret in 2000; it spoke of a ‘bishop in white’ who was shot by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows into him. Many people linked this to the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981.

The feast of Our Lady of Fatima was approved by the local bishop in 1930; it was added to the Church’s worldwide calendar in 2002. Sister Lucia died in 2005 at the age of 97.

Comment:

The message of Fatima is simple: Pray. Unfortunately, some people—not Sister Lucia—have distorted these revelations, making them into an apocalyptic event…

(The Comment above is from the American Catholic website.)

Of course, I do not believe that Mary actually appeared before those children, but do accept that they could have seen some type of apparition–but not one from God or Mary.

In the past year, I have read a variety of views and claims related to apparitions that claim to have been Mary.

Perhaps the most disturbing conclusion that I have come to is that it appears that certain Catholic prophecies indicate that apparitions of Mary will be involved in the end-times in order to convert people to the final ecumenical form of  “Catholicism” that will take over the world.

I am not the only one to reach this conclusions, however, as I recently noticed something that an Eastern Orthodox writer had published over a decade ago:

“Mother goddesses” known in the ancient world were not just confined to the Near East and Mediterranean but are universal. The Kogi Indians, among whom we lived in Columbia, worship a spirit called Nabuba, the “Ancient Mother.” When Roman Catholics missionaries attempted to evangelize the Kogi int he last century, they used a not-uncommon strategy for drawing pagan peoples into Rome’s fold: rather than explaining the differences between the pagan mysthology and Christian truth, they found “equivalences,” Christ, under this syncretistic view, corresponds to the Kogi Sejukukui (a trickster god who faked his own death by hiding in a cave), while Nabuba is said to be the Virgin Mary. This confusion has led the Kogis to call their pagan temples “cansamaria,” a corruption of “casa de Maria” (house of Mary).

Given these Roman Catholic “evangelistic methods” of more than a century ago, it is it any wonder that contemporary “apparitions” of Mary are invariably accompanied by ecumenistic messages promoting the idea that all religions are equally valid…

Mother Mary, is the role which the author considers the most appealing to non-Catholics: “The emotional need for her is so irresitible to a troubled world that people without an obvious link to the Virgin are being drawn to her. It is known that Muslins revere Mary as a pure and holy saint…Interdenominational Marian prayer groups are springing up throughtout the world. Many Protestants, even some who still reject notions of a supernatural Virgin, miss Mary.”

To which Mary are Muslims and Protestants being drawn? The Protestant Reformation rejected the distorted view of Mary which had developed in the West since the Schism of 1054, and which would ultimately result in the Roman Church’s proclamation of their dogma of the Immaculate Conception...

Today, as heterodox Christians become more and more ecumenist and work toward creating a “One World Church,” the search has begun for a Mary of universal recognition, one who will appeal not only to those who bear the name Christian, but apprently to Muslims and others as well, just as attempts are likewise being made to identify the “new Christ” with the Muslim concept of their coming Mahdi and with the Messiah still awaited by the Jews. This, of course, will be no Christ at all but the antichrist.

(Jackson P. ORTHODOX LIFE., No. I, 1997., Brotherhood of Saint Job of Pochaev at Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, N.Y. pp. 18-22.  http://fr-d-serfes.org/orthodox/theotokos.htm viewed 05/11/09)

Those who wish to learn more about the real Mary, as well as the apparitions and Antichrist, should study the following articles:

Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions Do you know much about Mary? Are the apparitions real? What might they mean? Are Protestants moving towards Mary? How might Mary view them?  Will false apparitions be part of the signs and lying wonders that the Bible prophecies?
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet”. Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy.
Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus? Will the final “Anti-Christ” be Jewish, insist on Saturday, be opposed to the trinity, and bring in the millennium? Catholic writings indicate this, but what does the Bible show?

Typhoon Mike in 1990 Caused Massive Financial Damage to the Philippines

COGwriter

The Philippines are still experiencing problems from typhoons:

PHILIPPINES: Thousands still need aid in wake of typhoons

MANILA, 12 May 2009 (IRIN) – Emergency relief efforts continue for people displaced by two back-to-back typhoons that wreaked havoc across large parts of the eastern and northern Philippines.

The storms displaced more than 400,000 people, the vast majority of whom have yet to return home, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported.

Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, also chairman of the NDCC, said medicine, food and aid workers had been airlifted to areas in northern Luzon, devastated by Storm Chan-hom, which made landfall on 7 May, dumping heavy rains and causing landslides that killed 43 people.

It also displaced more than 161,020 people in 51 towns, six cities and 11 provinces in Luzon, the country’s largest island.

Of this number, more than 4,000 remain in government-run evacuation centres, mostly schools, the NDCC said on 11 May, while the majority are still staying with family and friends.

“The damage was massive,” Teodoro told IRIN, shortly after flying over Bolinao, a devastated coastal town in northern Pangasinan Province where many of the deaths occurred, with wooden houses blown away or partially damaged…

Chan-hom blew into the Philippines just days after tropical depression “Crising” and typhoon Kujira battered the eastern Bicol region and nearby provinces on 2 May, leaving 33 people dead and displacing 246,170, according to the NDCC…

The state weather bureau said the three storms, as well as a tropical depression that proceeded them, ushered in the early arrival of the annual typhoon season, which kills tens of thousands and causes widespread damage. About 20 typhoons strike the Philippines every year.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=84340

The usual heaviest storm season is July-October.

The Philippines, like most of the world, is also having economic problems. Its exports are down about 30% the past couple of months.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Why Prophecy? Because the World Will Not End Next Week Some question or downplay the role of prophecy. This article gives some of the biblical reasons what it is important and explains why the world cannot end for at least 3 1/2 years from now.
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans (the Hindus may have some predictions for the next decade as well). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?
Islands and Bible Prophecy What’s ahead for islands? What does the Bible prophesy about them?
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, Japanese, and others of Asia? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon?

Ruins of Ancient Laodicea

COGwriter

UCG posted more of the minutes of its latest series of Council of Elders meetings.  Here are some of the highlights not previously reported here, which are listed in chronological sequence as reported by UCG:

The Strategic Planning and Finance Committee’s Report on “Where Do We Go From Here?”

Mr. Kilough said that although he is most desirous to see this subject discussed, he said that this particular agenda item is out of order…

Mr. Kilough pointed out that the administration was not included in the discussions that the committee had held. He said that if this documentation is presented to the whole Council at this time, the scrutiny of the proposal will require that it will need to be remanded back to the committee for further review. He asked that this agenda item be dropped from the schedule until the committee and administration could discuss this proposal together as was approved by the Council.

Richard Thompson said that if the administration wasn’t solicited for input, then this document by the committee would not give the Council the complete picture. He said this item should not be submitted for the agenda.

Mr. Holladay said that he took a different perspective on this item…After the morning break, Mr. Holladay provided a compromise that Mr. Kilough agreed would be appropriate. Instead of providing a full report of ideas and thoughts about the topic, Mr. Holladay would provide information to the Council as to progress of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee on this issue, and the direction the committee will take. This revised agenda item will be discussed later this week (Council of Elders Meeting Report – May 5, 2009)…

Update: “Where Do We Go From Here?”

Roy Holladay mentioned that the “perfect economic storm” the Church is now facing—with the current economic crisis, rising legacy and health care costs, and an aging ministry and membership—will impact our decisions on where we go from here…

Elder’s Forum Violations

On behalf of the Ethics Committee, Aaron Dean presented a working paper on dealing with violations on the Elder’s Forum, as some elders have not followed the policies established for Elder’s Forum…

Legacy Costs

Jason Lovelady had presented some material in his report to the GCE about the rising “legacy costs” for the Church. These costs can be defined as anything having to do with insurance, health care and discretionary retirement assistance.

Mr. Lovelady presented the Council with the possible rise of those costs over the next 15 years. He noted that these were preliminary figures, but that they could increase to over $2 million. As ministers age, health-care costs also increase.

Mr. Lovelady also mentioned that in August he will present further discussion regarding the retirement policy and the estate fund. He noted that it is the desire of the Church to present a sustainable program of benefits so that each group of retirees can receive the same benefits (Council of Elders Meeting Report – May 6, 2009)…

Outside Speaking Guidelines

Bill Eddington once again reviewed a set of revisions that the committee had made to the document. During the discussion, Jim Franks noted that the document doesn’t address what will happen when an elder doesn’t accept the advice or consultation from a supervisory elder regarding an invitation to speak to an outside religious group.

The newly-revised document still no longer requires an elder to seek permission, but rather requires one only to seek counsel and advice from a supervisory elder. A lengthy discussion ensued. Mr. Dick mentioned that he is very concerned if an elder comes into his area, rejects the advice given and speaks to a group, which then results in confusion and offenses to his members. He said that a pastor’s first priority must be to protect his members…

New Chairman

Secretary David Johnson presided over the balloting for the next Council chairman, which required a two-thirds majority. The Council, on the second ballot, chose Roy Holladay to be the next chairman. His term, which will last for the next two years, begins in July 2009…

Balloting Amendment

Mr. Eddington also presented an amendment to the Bylaws that would allow certain items for ballot by the GCE to be declared “extraordinary issues” requiring more than a simple majority to pass. This amendment was supported by eight Council members last year and was forwarded to the Amendment Committee for comment. The Committee recommended some wording changes to clarify the intent of the proposed amendment (Council of Elders Meeting Report – May 7, 2009).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Differences between the Living Church of God and United Church of God This article provides quotes information from the two largest groups which had their origins in WCG as well as commentary.
Polycarp, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Roderick C. Meredith on Church Government What form of governance did the early church have? Was it hierarchical? Which form of governance would one expect to have in the Philadelphia remnant? The people decide and/or committee forms, odd dictatorships, or the same type that the Philadelphia era itself had?
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand.
6. 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 basically the Living Church of God.
7. The Laodicean Church Era was predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. Non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG.
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to more easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG members or any interested in supporting the faithful church. It also explains a lot of what the COGs are all about.

COGwriter

In its latest update, LCG reported:

Homosexual Marriages Are “Right Way” for Christians? New York’s governor wants to legalize homosexual marriage. Gov. Paterson compares it to a “civil rights struggle” and, by extension, likens those who oppose it to racial bigots. Ultimately, he notes that it is the “solemn duty” of society to recognize such “marriages.” Paterson, once baptized a Catholic, has turned from his religious roots, stating that homosexual “marriage is the ‘right way’ from a spiritual standpoint” (Reuters, April 16, 2009). The Holy Scriptures plainly denounce homosexuality as a sin (Romans 1:24-32) and clearly articulate that marriage is God-ordained to be between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:22-25, 1 Timothy 3:2). Christians are not to condemn anyone (Matthew 7:1), nor are they to be violent against those who sin (Matthew 5:21-22). But God did warn of a time, at the end of the age, when society would call things that are evil and wrong “good,” and condemn as “evil” things that are right (Isaiah 5:20). This is exactly what we are witnessing today. This should motivate us even more to pray, as Christ directed, “Thy kingdom come”!

We have seen a rise in sexually related sins of pretty much all types in the USA.  What we also seen is more institutionalized acceptance of practices that the Bible condemns.  So-called “gay marriage” is now, or soon to be, a legal reality in Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine, with other states looking to follow.

But, I should also add, that in salvation is open to those who have been guilty of sexual sins (1 Corinthians 6:9-11),  and of course salvation will be open to all not called now in “the age to come”.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments? This article quotes what Jesus actually said about them (His words are in red).
The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught?
Was the Commandment to Love the Only Command? Some have stated that John’s writings teach this, but is that what the Bible really says?
The Ten Commandments and the Early Church Did Jesus and the Early Church keep the ten commandments? What order were they in? Here are quotes from the Bible and early writings.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. This article includes many biblical and non-biblical prophecies, from around the world, that seem to discuss Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist?  Might Barack Obama set the stage for the kings of the North and South as at least one Shiite prophecy suggests?  This is the longest and most complete article on this page on Barack Obama prophecies. Read it and decide for yourself if President Obama seems to be fulfilling various prophecies.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”, based up an early 20th century writing.
Are You Saved? Do You Love Jesus? What is a True Christian? What is the Gospel? Evangelist Richard Ames answers those important questions.
Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Does God’s plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account?

COGwriter

In a move that we in the Living Church of God have long expected, the European Union took another step to getting religion incorporated into its systems.

Lisbon Treaty strengthens role of religion says EU

EUobserver – May 11, 2009

ANDREW WILLIS

BRUSSELS – Securing a stronger consultative role for European religions in EU policy making is another good reason to support the Lisbon Treaty, say two of the EU’s most senior officials.Speaking after a meeting with European religious leaders on Monday (11 May), European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering said such discussions in the future could not be guaranteed without the full ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.Mr Pottering said the annual inter-religious dialogue between European religious leaders and the EU institutions – formalised in 2005 – were carried out on the “basis of good will” rather than because of a legal obligation.

“If the Lisbon Treaty is not ratified, with the new leaderships in the commission and the parliament, they could abolish this dialogue because legally it’s not binding,” he said.

He added that it is the “responsibility of Ireland” to ensure the treaty comes into effect.

The Irish government is set to hold a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty this autumn, following an initial rejection by a majority of Irish voters last June.

However, the document is also facing several legal challenges in Mr Pottering’s home country of Germany and awaits presidential signatures in the Czech Republic and Poland.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, who co-chaired the meeting with Mr Poettering, told journalists the Lisbon Treaty would also re-inforce dialogue between non-confessional organisations.

“One of the purposes of these meetings is to highlight how it is important in Europe to keep freedom of religion [and] also the freedom not to have a religion,” he said.

The Church and Lisbon

“[The Lisbon Treaty] is the first time ever that our churches and our religious communities are included in the law of the European union,” Mr Pottering said.

However, the EU’s secularism, in particular politically unwillingness to include a reference to the Christian god in the Constitutional Treaty’s preamble, was one reason given for conservative Christian groups’ opposition to the Lisbon Treaty during the country’s referendum on the document last June.

The Lisbon Treaty is a rewritten version of the Constitutional Treaty rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, containing many of the main proposals but doing away with reference to European symbols such as a European flag and anthem.

Also attending Monday’s meeting was the Catholic archbishop for Dublin, Diarmuid Martin.

Mr Martin has increasingly voiced his support for the Lisbon treaty in recent months ahead of a second Irish referendum on the document this autumn. http://euobserver.com/9/28106

When the Pope likes the agreement, he (or the next one) will take more steps to more strongly encourage Europeans to accept the EU.

Ultimately, a religion that will likely call itself Catholic will be the ecumenical faith that will be forced upon the world through military and economic pressures (as well as signs and lying wonders).

Some articles of related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? What is ahead for Europe?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies 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?

Herbert W. Armstrong with then Japanese Prime Minister Nakasone

COGwriter

Japan is more and more discovering financial fraud of its own:

Lawyers sound alert about rising Japanese fraud

Desperate to recover money amid the global economic upheaval, investors are discovering frauds against foreign companies

The Times – May 11, 2009

Leo Lewis, Asia Business Correspondent

Japan has become Asia’s foremost hotbed of fraud, possibly concealing financial deceptions on the scale of the Bernard Madoff ponzi scheme, senior lawyers have warned.

Economic upheaval and a desperation to recover investments are bringing to light a number of financial scams and frauds against foreign companies and funds. Some are said to be on what one government official called a “breathtaking scale” and many have clear links to yakuza organised crime syndicates.

Dominic Roughton, senior partner at Herbert Smith in Tokyo, one of Asia’s leading risk mitigation groups, said that the alarm bells were ringing as the economy deteriorated and investors at home and abroad grew intensely nervous about the “reality” of their portfolios in Japan. Property investments and companies with locally run satellite offices are seen as the weak spots.

Mr Roughton said that most of the frauds emerging now took two to three years to germinate and date from when foreign investment into Japan was high-paced and often under-researched.

“When the economy is awash with money, people do not do as much checking as they should,” he said. “Then, when you have a downturn, like now, somebody turns on the lights and says: ‘Where’s all the money?’” He said that frauds were increasingly interconnected. “In Japan, the vast majority of the people you’re doing business with are good – but when they are bad, they are really, really bad.”

John Kakuni, until recently general counsel at Shinsei Finance, said that Japan’s image as a low-crime country was a significant part of the problem, with foreign companies seeing the safe streets of Japan’s big cities as a reason to drop their guard in a way they would not do elsewhere.

“Foreign companies don’t do their due diligence and are subject to being duped,” he said. “The British and Americans seem to be more careful, but the continental Europeans are particularly susceptible.”

Mr Kakuni highlighted an example last year where Lehman Brothers and a collection of hedge funds were defrauded on a giant scale by conmen using the head office of one of Japan’s most respected trading houses to lend credibility to their $350million scam.

“You can probably see it as the tip of the iceberg,” Mr Kakuni said. “We could see something on the scale of a Madoff-style fraud emerging here, where major firms or major funds were victims.”

Stuart Witchell, the senior vice-president of International Risk, warned investors that fraud was the leading non-operational cause of business failure in Asia and that Japan was where most big fraud occurs.

Especially vulnerable, he said, were foreign companies doing business in Japan that accept advice that the market is so arcane, opaque and complex that they have to rely on locals.

“We have seen a rise in situations where foreign companies have naively relied on Japanese employees, with no proper oversight. They are finding a culture of kickbacks and insider trading and links to organised crime,” Mr Witchell said. And when fraud happens in Japan, it happens on a large scale, he said.

Raising the risk of fraud still further is the relatively more limited level of due diligence performed by Japanese companies on each other – lulling foreign investors into a false sense of security. Blind belief in business partners counts for much in Japan, but may have allowed colossal frauds to fester out of sight.

Jason Daniel, managing partner of Simmons & Simmons, in Tokyo, said: “Much depends on mutual trust – when dealing with someone that ‘deserves’ to be trusted, this can mean a national hesitation in asking too many difficult questions.”

On the domestic front, the increasing emergence of grand-scale fraud has rattled police and financial services authorities. As part of its economic stimulus package, the Government is making £85 cash handouts to all Japanese – an event that it is feared may become a “paradise” for scam-artists and large-scale conmen. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/japan/article6261356.ece

Financial fraud is obviously not limited to the United States.

While most have considered that Japan will remain independent, the late Herbert W. Armstrong tended to feel that Japan would ultimately be part of a confederation of “kings of the east” that would include China.

The more that Japan’s export markets have problems, and the more it has its own internal problems, the more likely that is to come to pass.  Perhaps next decade.

Some articles of related interest may include:

Japan, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Any Witness? This is a draft of an in-process article about Japan. Have they had any witness?
Japan, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: Prophecy Japan in prophecy. What is prophesied for Japan. Will God save the Japanese?
Islands and Bible Prophecy What’s ahead for islands? What does the Bible prophesy about them?
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters 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.
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, Japanese, and others of Asia? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon?

Reykjavík, Iceland

COGwriter

In the latest issue of LCG’s Tomorrow’s World magazine, Wyatt Ciesielka wrote:

The global economic news has been brutal, but it is actually worse than many people realize.
Not only are people losing everything, and not only are companies going bankrupt, but even entire nations are failing. From poor nations such as Zimbabwe, to wealthy nations such as Dubai, governments have either already collapsed, or risk collapsing under severe economic strain.
Consider Iceland. Seemingly prosperous, Iceland rapidly went bankrupt in December 2008! Unable to pay its external debts, Iceland quickly could not import even basic goods and services! Its currency—the krona—became effectively worthless. Individual wealth vanished and day-to-day economic activity ground to a halt. Subsequently, the Icelandic government collapsed on January 26, 2009, making it the first national casualty of the global economic crisis…

Can America and Britain Fail?

If multinational companies and modern nations can fail, and if international support continues to wane, then could the U.S. and the U.K. fail?
Last July, The New York Times asked a bold question. Arguing for worldwide economic cooperation to assist America, the author argued that, “In the global economy of the moment, the United States itself is too big to fail” (“Too Big to Fail?”, July 20, 2008)…
When this New York Times article ran, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was still near 12,000 and many argued that this would be just another cyclical financial adjustment. But, as our Editor in Chief wrote months before the economic meltdown, “…the U.S. is headed for a financial catastrophe unless major changes occur!” And, “…our leaders are being overwhelmed with catastrophes they will be increasingly unable to manage, which will greatly weaken the prestige and power of the U.S. and the British-descended nations.” As this Work has long warned, the root causes of this coming catastrophe are our national sins, and our ignoring of God’s laws (“What Is Ahead for America?”, Tomorrow’s World, May-June 2008).
The increasing reality is that America and Britain are being kept afloat by foreign money and by a faltering hope among China, Europe and other nations that they remain worthwhile investments. The necessary question then becomes: when will we be allowed to fail?

America and Britain Are Failing Now

Since the above articles, the American and British financial systems have hemorrhaged trillions of dollars. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is struggling to recover, after having plunged to less than half of its 2008 levels, and both small and mighty U.S. and British companies have declared bankruptcy, or have simply ceased to exist.
The UK’s Insolvency Service agency reports that last year 15,535 British companies failed, and 67,428 people went bankrupt in England and Wales; an increase of more than 51 percent over the same period a year ago (see www.insolvency.gov.uk). In the U.S., recent announcements include the termination of: 73,000 from Citigroup, 35,000 from Bank of America, 34,000 from General Motors, 25,000 from Hewlett-Packard and EDS and 22,000 from Caterpillar. The list goes on. New unemployment benefits in March “unexpectedly rose to the highest level in over 26 years”—a staggering 669,000 per week—pushing the numbers of Americans receiving jobless benefits to 5.73 million and climbing (Reuters, April 2, 2009).

The World Is Passing Away

Capitalism, democracy and free-markets did not make America and Britain great. God made America and Britain great. However, our nations rejected our Creator and His laws. Instead, we worship wealth. We crave and export violence and sex. We profane God’s Sabbaths. We divorce, murder, covet, lie, and steal God’s tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:8).
Knowing our nations would reject Him, God warned that He would withdraw His blessings and we would become oppressed and eventually conquered (Micah 5:10–15; Deuteronomy 28:15–68). This economic and eventual military decline will lead to the Great Tribulation spoken of by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:21.
God’s faithful Church has long proclaimed the “Ezekiel warning” (Ezekiel 3:17–19) of repentance, and also the good news of Christ’s return as King of kings (Matthew 24:14). We have long advised paying off debt, reducing expenses, and—more importantly—humbly and zealously returning to God to prepare for Christ’s return, because “the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).
Will our nations humbly heed God’s clear and powerful prophetic warnings while there is still time? Will you?

Here is a link to the full article America and Britain: “Too Big to Fail”?

It is the first sentence of Wyatt Ciesielka’s article that I really want people to consider.  The global economy, especially for the USA, UK, and their Anglo-allies is actually worse than almost all realize (Iceland, which will likely align with the European Union is in a different category).

Those in the media do not understand the identities of the Anglo-peoples, the fact that their nations were blessed because of God’s promises (to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), and that those who receive the blessings are subject to also receiving the cursings if they turn their backs on the true God of Israel.

Those interested in what is ahead for the US, UK, and their Anglo-allies should carefully study the following articles:

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?  What will happen to the nation of Israel?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies 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?
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States Some claim that Barack Obama is the prophesied “son of Kenya”, based up an early 20th century writing.
Prophecies of Barack Obama? Are there biblical and non-biblical prophecies about Barack Obama. Did Nostradamus predict Barack Obama dealing with the Antichrist? This is the longest and most detailed of the articles here related to prophecy and Barack Obama.
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2009, 2010, or 2011? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?