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COGwriter

Terrorism hit Norway today:

Oslo bombing puts Norway on edge (VIDEO)

Christian Science Monitor – Michael Steininger, Frank Radosevich – ‎22 July 2011

But the attacks are likely to prompt soul-searching in Norway, and many citizens are likely to suspect Islamic militants, says Iver Neumann, research fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI).

We know that Al Qaeda has put Norway on a list of potential targets,” says Mr. Neumann. “There will certainly be a debate about Norway’s relationship with Islam. And there will be a debate about the level of security we afford to our leaders.

Essentially, because of threats against Norway in the past for its military involvement in Afghanistan, many wonder if today’s bombing may be the work of some with Islamic ties.

We in the Living Church of God tend to believe that the Norwegians tended to descend from the son of Israel named Benjamin (Genesis 49:27).  In the Bible, God promised blessings to these sons of Israel (Genesis 49:28), but cursings were also warned about if they did not obey God’s laws:

14’But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments, 15 and if you despise My statutes, or if your soul abhors My judgments, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, 16 I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever which shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you (Leviticus 26:14-17).

Thus terrors (like terrorism) are prophesied for those who were blessed because of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And these curses have began.  (And no, I am not saying that those killed today are morally worse than those who were not, cf. Luke 13:1-5.)

Terrors are a type of are troubles and Jesus told of troubles as part of the beginning of sorrows:

8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mark 13:8)

Many Islamic terrorists share as their goal the establishment of an Islamic caliphate, essentially an Islamic empire (this seems to be consistent with biblical prophecies, Daniel 11:40-43; Psalm 83).   Some Islamists look at non-Islamic troops in places like Afghanistan as an incursion into Islamic territories that they believe need to be stopped by any possible means.

If Islamic terrorists are responsible for the bombs in Norway, they need to apologize, try to assist the Norwegians, and repent.  If instead of Islamists some others are involved, they too should apologize, try to assist the Norwegians, and repent.

My prayers go out the families of the affected Norwegians.

Prophetic details concerning much of this can be found in the following articles:

Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi? What does the Bible say?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (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?  Who is Norway?  Who is Sweden?  What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
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?
Is There an Islamic Antichrist? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2011, 2012, or 2013? 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?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? True religion should be based upon the true gospel.
Are You Saved? Do You Love Jesus? What is a True Christian? What is the Gospel? Evangelist Richard Ames answers those important questions.

Berlin Reichstag

COGwriter

The following headline was of interest:

The euro crisis will give Germany the empire it’s always dreamed of

By Peter Osbrone, July 21, 2011

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100098260/this-crisis-will-give-germany-the-empire-its-always-dreamed-of/

We in the Living Church of God have long taught that Germany (Assyria in end time prophecy) would be the driving force in the end-time European Beast power as well as having a future role in God’s kingdom.  It is interesting that secular sources are more and more starting to indicate that we have long been correct about that.  LCG has an article of related interest titled “Resurgent Germany: A Fourth Reich?”

Increasing European debt, combined with German wealth means increasing German influence.

Certain scholars believe that the Assyrian peoples migrated into central Europe in ancient times and are now represented by the Germanic peoples.  Even the Catholic saint Jerome indicated that the descendants of the biblical Asshur (Genesis 10:22) which seems to be Assyria (Radmacher  Concordance in. Nelson Study Bible, p. 11), ended up in parts of Europe (Jerome. Letter CXXIII to Ageruchia, Chapter 16.  Translated by W.H. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W.G. Martley. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1893.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3001123.htm>).

The Bible also shows:

5 “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hand is My indignation.
6 I will send him against an ungodly nation,
And against the people of My wrath
I will give him charge,
To seize the spoil, to take the prey,
And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Yet he does not mean so,
Nor does his heart think so;
But it is in his heart to destroy,
And cut off not a few nations. (Isaiah 10:5-7)

Notice that even though Assyria (modern Germany) does not think it means to, it is in the national character to destroy and cut off nations. And this will happen. Germany is getting the wealth and influence that ultimately will allow it to fulfill that prophecy.

The Bible is also clear that Assyria will be an end time northern power that God will punish per Zephaniah 2:13-15, which seems to go along with Revelation 18:1-10.  And lately, Germany’s power seems to be rising up on the world and European scene.

Some articles of possibly 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”?
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? What MUST happen BEFORE the Great Tribulation?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Could He Become “the Beast”? What makes the German Defense Minister a candidate?

COGwriter

Another study back benefits for males who have been circumcised:

IAS: Circumcision Benefit for HIV Sustained Over Time

by Michael Smith, 22 July 2011

Male circumcision is having a direct effect on HIV prevalence and incidence in South Africa, a researcher said here.In the region of Orange Farm, near Johannesburg, the prevalence of HIV among circumcised men is 55% lower than among their uncircumcised counterparts, according to Bertran Auvert, MD, PhD, of the University of Versailles.

And incidence among them is 76% lower than among the uncircumcised…

Another reason to support circumcision

Samantha Schaefer, 22 July 2011 Los Angeles Times

A successful circumcision campaign in South Africa worked to help decrease HIV infections in men by 76%, The Times reported. The results of the campaign could be a game-changer for countries with high HIV transmission rates…The procedure has been ramped up in sub-Saharan Africa since the World Health Organization’s announcement four years ago that circumcision reduces a man’s HIV contraction by 60%, according to NPR.

Interestingly, in the local newspaper last night, I read an article by San Luis Obispo medical doctor Steven Sainsbury who also advocated various benefits for males being circumcised (Debunking Circumcision Myths  The Tribune, July 21, 2011, page B5).    Some of the facts he presented were:

1. Male circumcision lowers human papilloma virus (HPV) in female partners.
2. Male circumcision confers an element of protection from HIV (and he cited a USA study)
3. Uncircumcised males can get their foreskins swollen, sometimes in a dangerous fashion called paraphimosis.
4. Uncircumcised males are more likely to get a urinary obstruction called phimosis.
5. Uncircumcised males are more likely to have hygiene problems.

He also mentioned that the procedure for infants has little, if any pain, especially since a local anesthesia is now being used.

Despite all the positive evidence, in Northern California, some are trying to make this thousands of years old practice illegal.  However, a new bill has been introduced in California to not allow cities/counties from banning male circumcision:

Bill to block circumcision bans

Tempo – ‎22 July 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Two California lawmakers have filed a bill that would pre-empt local governments from enacting laws regarding male circumcision and reserve such legislation for the state level.

So, apparently, there are several in California that understand that making male circumcision illegal is a bad idea.

NOTE: Here is an update from the news of March 12, 2012 which seems to show another benefit from male circumcision:

 Circumcision lowers prostate cancer risk

Times of India – ‎12 March 2012

Circumcision before a male’s first sexual intercourse may help protect against prostate cancer, a new study has found. The study, conducted by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, suggests that circumcision can hinder infection and suggests that circumcision can hinder infection and inflammation that may lead to this malignancy.

Infections are known to cause cancer, and research suggests that sexually transmitted infections may contribute to the development of prostate cancer.

Circumcision is not, of course, a new concept.  Thousands of years ago, God told Abraham to implement circumcision:

9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” (Genesis 17:9-14)

Later, the Old Testament also provided instruction to the children of Israel to circumcise their male babies:

1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. 3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.  (Leviticus 12:1-3)

(Note: Male circumcision is nothing like so-called female circumcision, which is NOT enjoined in the Bible and should not be done.)

Jesus once stated:

22 Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  (John 7:22)

Now, although the New Testament teaches that Gentile adult males do not have to be circumcised in order to be Christians (Acts 15:24-29), the Apostle Paul had Timothy circumcised anyway (Acts 16:3).

Even though the apostles ruled that adult Gentiles did not have to be circumcised in Acts 15 (as well as Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 7:18), my own reading into early church history suggests that many Christians continued to circumcise their male babies after this declaration.

The early 20^th century theologian J.J.L. Ratton reported:

The early Church at Jerusalem, retained most of the distinctive customs of the Jews, such as circumcision, kosher meats, the Jewish Sabbath, the Jewish rites, and worship of the Temple. Our Lord, Himself, lived the exterior life of a Jew, even so far as the observance of Jewish religious customs was concerned. The early Church of Jerusalem followed His example. The Jews looked upon the Hebrew Christians in Jerusalem simply as a Jewish sect, which they called the sect of the Nazarenes. (Ratton JJL  The Apocalypse of St. John: a commentary on the Greek text, 2^nd edition.  R. & T. Washbourne, ltd., 1915.  Original fromt he University of Michigan.  Digitized Jun 12, 2007, p. 4)

The historian E. Gibbon wrote:

The first fifteen bishops of Jerusalem were all circumcised Jews; and the congregation over which they presided united the law of Moses with the doctrine of Christ. (Gibbon, Edward ; Eckler, Peter. History of Christianity: Comprising All that Relates to the Progress of the Christian Religion in “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” and A Vindication of Some Passages in the 15th and 16th Chapters. Published by P. Eckler, 1916. Original from the New York Public Library. Digitized Jun 19, 2006, p. 117)

Now, it should be mentioned that in the second century, non-Nazarene professors of Christ, like the heretic Justin, did not practice circumcision.

According to the fourth century Catholic historian Eusebius, starting in the first century:

James, the first that had obtained the episcopal seat in Jerusalem after the ascension of our Saviour…The first, then, was James, the so-called brother of the Lord; the second, Symeon; the third, Justus; the fourth, Zacchæus; the fifth, Tobias; the sixth, Benjamin; the seventh, John; the eighth, Matthias; the ninth, Philip; the tenth, Seneca; the eleventh, Justus; the twelfth, Levi; the thirteenth, Ephres; the fourteenth, Joseph; and finally, the fifteenth, Judas. These are the bishops of Jerusalem that lived between the age of the apostles and the time referred to, all of them belonging to the circumcision.  (Eusebius. The History of the Church, 2005 Book III, Chapter V, Verses 2,3.& Book IV, Chapter 5, Verses 2-4 .  Translated by A. Cushman McGiffert.  Digireads.com Publishing, Stilwell (KS), pp. 45, 71)

But circumcision was not just the practice with the first and second century bishops of Jerusalem.  Epiphanius wrote of this group from the time of 69/70 A.D. until his day, that he called the Nazarenes:

All Christians were called Nazarenes once…They were so-called followers of the apostles…they dedicate themselves to the law…However, everyone called the Christians Nazarenes as I said before.  This appears from the accusation against Paul…[Acts 24:5]…For they use not only the New Testament but also the Old…For they also accept the resurrection of the dead and that everything has origin in God…Only in this respect they differ from the Jews and Christians: with the Jews they do not agree because of their belief in Christ, with the Christians because they are trained in the Law, in circumcision, the Sabbath and the other things…(Epiphanius.  Panarion 29 as cited in Pritz R.  Nazarene Jewish Christianity.  Magnas, Jerusalem, 1988, pp. 30-34)

Notice the following, by the scholar B. Pixner:

…after Jerusalem was rebuilt as a Roman city named Aelia Capitolina — to obliterate any associations with the Jews — and Hadrian was succeeded by a much milder emperor named Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.), the Judeo-Christians drifted back to Mt. Zion. (Pixner B. Church of the Apostles Found on Mt. Zion. Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 1990)

Their adherence to Jewish customs, especially circumcision and observance of Jewish holy days, naturally alienated the “Nazarene” Christians from the church that distanced itself away from many practices it considered to be Jewish.

Here is some of what the Catholic scholar Bagatti wrote about some of the gentile Nazarenes in the fourth and probably fifth centuries, that were sometimes derisively referred to as Minim by some Jews:

In fact some Minim of gentile stock, following St. Paul, taught that the Law had been abolished with the exception of the Decalogue…Some Jews…intensified the observance of the Law…especially regarding circumcision and the Sabbath.  The Judaeo-Christians in this were in accord with the Jews…(Bagatti, Bellarmino.  Translated by Eugene Hoade.  The Church from the Circumcision. Nihil obstat: Marcus Adinolfi, 13 Maii 1970. Imprimi potest: Herminius Roncari, 14 Junii 1970. Imprimatur: +Albertus Gori, die 26 Junii 1970.  Franciscan Printing Press, Jerusalem, 1971, p. 108)

While it was not a required practice, throughout history, many “Nazarene” Christians have practiced circumcision, not as a commandment, but as a biblically-based concept, knowing that God’s statutes were good (cf. Nehemiah 9:13).

One of the inquisitors in the Middle Ages found that a certain type of “heretic” (in his mind) uniformly observed the Sabbath and sometimes (though apparently not always) observed circumcision (Davis, Tamar. A General History of the Sabbatarian Churches. 1851; Reprinted 1995 by Commonwealth Publishing, Salt Lake City, p. 88).

Thus, it seems that circumcision was (and still is) often practiced by many trying to be faithful Christians.  And because of  “Judeo-Christian influence” (like from the Bible), this may be why there have always been a relatively high proportion of circumcised males in the USA (though this may be changing).

While the Bible does not list health benefits that come from circumcision, it would make sense that the Creator of the universe would only recommend physical practices that were beneficial for His human creation.  And this practice seems to have many health benefits.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Read the Bible Christians should read the Bible. This article gives some rationale for regular bible reading.
What is the Appropriate Form of Biblical Interpretation? Should the Bible be literally understood? What do the writings of the Bible, Origen, Herbert W. Armstrong, and Augustine show?
Bible and Historical Resources on the Internet Electronic bibles, Two Babylons, early Christian literature, photos, and even links to old Herbert W. Armstrong materials.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what doctrines the early Christians actually had? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
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?
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Should Christians be Nazarenes today? What were the practices of the Nazarenes.
Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?

COGwriter

Notice the following from the latest Living Church of God commentary by Dr. J. Fall:

Commentary: Evolution: A Religion

By Jeffrey Fall | Thursday, July 21, 2011

Today, with up-to date-science, it becomes increasingly clear that the theory of evolution has become the modern-day religion of the educated–and, quite commonly, the religion of the uneducated. Listen to the amazing words of Charles Darwin, whom many consider the “father” of evolution: “I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions wondering over all the time over everything and to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion out of them.” Charles Darwin admitted that his wonderings and suggestions became a religion…

According to Webster’s Dictionary: “A religion is a cause, a principle, a system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.” If you use one common definition of faith as “a firm belief in something that has no proof” then modern evolutionists are full of faith. The faith based religion of evolution which lacks any semblance of proof is based on a series of assumptions that are absolutely without proof…

To learn more on this important subject watch the telecast titled “Questions Evolution Cannot Answer” and read the article “Evolution: Fact or Fiction?” for more on the improvable theory of evolution.

As a scientist, I have long known that proponents of evolution treat the subject more like a religious view than a scientific theory.   This is somewhat also what the Ben Stein movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed revealed (see Ben Stein’s Expelled).

Which was?

Scientists who challenge too many claims associated with evolution are shunned by many academic institutions, as there is a tremendous amount of pressure at most “leading” academic institutions to squelch research that is not in support of evolution because it will affect their beliefs.

Evolution, as the explanation for the origin of life, is unscientific and false. It also requires students to accept a belief that violates other known laws of biological science.

Actually it is impossible for the non-living to become alive as it violates the scientifically accepted law of bio-genesis (life only comes from life).

A Series of Impossibilities Should Lead One to Realize the Existence of God

But what if we allow the impossibility of spontaneous primitive life to have occurred?

The primitive life would have to die. Part of the reason for this is that even a single-cell is so complex, and so full of various biological subsystems, that scientists have learned that many systems are essentially necessary for life to exist or continue. Science recognizes that living organisms must be self-contained, eat, digest, and reproduce to continue to exist.

Spontaneously alive lined-up amino acids (with other substances coincidentally there) would die because:

1) All living organisms need biological structures such as organelles and membranes. Without a membranous structure, the proteins would ultimately diffuse and destroy the living organism. Living organism must be somewhat self-contained.
2) All living organisms need nourishment and direction. Since randomness would not have created the biological structure known as a DNA-containing nucleus (or some primitive equivalent), the cell would die. Even if it had some type of nucleus to provide direction, the nucleus would have to have come into existence with ability to determine what to eat and how to find food, another impossibility.
3) Even if the cell had all the above, it would die, because there would have been no reason for it to have spontaneously generated a digestive system in order to utilize the food.
4) Even if evolutionists are granted all the improbabilities and impossibilities this article discusses, the primitive life would quickly die out as there would have been no reason for it to have spontaneously generated an ability to reproduce, nor would it have any innate ability to do so.

It is in the Bible that we are told that when God made life He intended it to reproduce (Genesis 1:11,28,29). The idea of an ‘intelligent design’ by a Spirit being is the only explanation that does not defy scientifically provable knowledge–for all other explanations result in something that must die out.

Proteins cannot of themselves reproduce–they need DNA. DNA can basically do nothing of itself, it needs proteins. Does any scientifically rational person actually believe that they randomly developed and got together at the same time for life as we know it to exist without Divine intervention?

The answer should be obvious. No.

By the way, God apparently expects humans to realize that He exists through various aspects of His creation. Notice:

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

Thus since life could not have randomly sprung forth, eaten, and reproduced, only a different type of entity (God) could have caused it to begin.

Evolution has led to the intentional ignorance of appropriate scientific methods.  It became a religion for many in the 19th century, and remains one for many today.

To learn more about how life formed and why the evolutionary explanation is not scientifically valid, please review the following articles:

Is God’s Existence Logical? Some say it is not logical to believe in God. Is that true?
Is Evolution Probable or Impossible or Is God’s Existence Logical? Part II This short article clearly answers what ‘pseudo-scientists’ refuse to acknowledge.

World Currencies

COGwriter

A lot of the financial headlines are not good:

Fed Secretly Preparing for Doomsday

21 July 2011

Fearing the worst, the Federal Reserve is actively preparing for the US to default on its $14.3 trillion debt.
Plan to deal with the unthinkable.

New Rescue Plan for Greece May Include ‘Selective Default’

New York Times – 21 July 2011

BRUSSELS – European leaders began a crucial meeting Thursday after talks between Germany and France produced agreement on a rescue plan for Greece that may push the country to default on some of its debt for a short period.

Progress scarce as debt limit impasse continues

Forbes – ‎21 July 2011

WASHINGTON — Progress remains elusive as official Washington grapples day after day for a way out of a debt dilemma that has the government sliding toward a first-ever default on its financial obligations.

Printing money is Europe’s only way out

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/printing-money-is-europes-only-way-out-2011-07-20?reflink=MW_GoogleNews

The euro now threatens the world with economic meltdown

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2017107/CHRISTOPHER-BOOKER-The-euro-threatens-world-economic-meltdown.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

European economists warn survival of the euro is at stake

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8650866/European-economists-warn-survival-of-the-euro-is-at-stake-letter-in-full.html

Make-or-break day for Europe

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=148866

Germany, France agree deal as euro summit looms

http://www.bi-me.com/main.php?id=53655&t=1&c=34&cg=4&mset=1011

While the Europeans have a lot of debt, the USA has even more. Despite the debt crises in several EU nations, the debt situation is worse in the USA and individual USA states have problems similar to the indebted EU countries. And while Europe may not have done enough to solve those issues, it seems to have at least tried to take stronger steps than the USA and many of its states have.

As I have mentioned before, the debt situation has convinced many nations that the world needs to be free of the US dollar as “the world’s reserve currency.”  One of the reasons, from a carnal perspective, that the Euro has not crashed is because it is somewhat of the de facto alternative reserve currency after the USA dollar.  While in theory, Chinese renminbi yuan could be, to be frank, financial people around the world simply trust the Chinese less than they do the Americans or the Europeans.  Other national currencies, like those of the Canadians, Norwegians, or Swiss, simply do not have a big enough amount of total economic activity backing them up to make them a global alternative to the US dollar or the Euro.  This is also one of the reasons that gold has tended to go up in dollar terms the past several years.

I have long warned about more civil unrest coming to Europe, and the current crisis may be a major factor in that direction.  If major civil unrest does break out, look to see if militaristic leaders rise up–if so, one is likely to be the final King of the North, the final Beast leader of Bible prophecy.

The current budget/debt/borrowing limit stalemate in the USA is telling the world that the USA really does not intend to pay down its debt, only that it may not raise it as fast as it otherwise would. This is dangerous.  While the USA will somehow muddle through, it has not made itself look like a first-rate financial power during the past few weeks of public debate on its federal budget.

Eventually, despite Europe’s problems (cf. Daniel 2:42-43), Bible prophecy shows that Europe will be THE major economic superpower for a short time. And as I have written many times at COGwriter, I expect the euro to drop in value from time to time, and even to plummet should major civil unrest occur, until the euro (or whatever replacement currency Europe would have should the euro be dropped, including a possible world currency) becomes the actual world reserve currency essentially replacing the US dollar.

For details on those prophecies, check out the following:

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?
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the German Defense Minister one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest?
The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (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 nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
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.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West?
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.
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 2011, 2012, or 2013? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord?

Asian Tiger Mosquito

COGwriter

Asian Tiger Mosquitoes are affecting parts of the North American continent:

Aggressive and Hard to Kill: Two Asian Cityslickers Swarm the East Coast

Wall Street Journal – July 20, 2011

The Asian tiger mosquito, named for its distinctive black-and-white striped body, is a relatively new species to the U.S. that is more vicious, harder to kill and, unlike most native mosquitoes, bites during the daytime. It also prefers large cities over rural or marshy areas—thus earning the nickname among entomologists as “the urban mosquito.”

“Part of the reason it is called ‘tiger’ is also because it is very aggressive,” says Dina Fonseca, an associate professor of entomology at Rutgers University. “You can try and swat it all you want, but once it’s on you, it doesn’t let go. Even if it goes away, it will be back for a bite.”…

Another species imported from Asia is the rock pool mosquito (Aedes japonicus), which also came to the U.S. through the tire trade, experts say. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303795304576454312427933764.html

The map of the infestation I saw showed the tiger mosquitoes mainly in the East (including North-East) and South of the USA (with some also in Arizona) and the rock pool mosquitoes (also from Asia) mainly in the North-East of the USA.

The Prophet Daniel told of a time with a lot of travel (Daniel 12:4), and while many aspects of travel are positive, some are negative.  How negative these Asian mosquitoes will be remains to be seen.

Earlier this year, Malaysia tried to genetically modify another type of mosquito (a GMO mosquito) in order to try to reduce dengue fever (see Malaysia Released Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes).  And while that might help, there are also risks.  It is my view that the increasing use (and in the case of the grain crops in the USA, increasing dependence) of GMOs is putting parts of humanity at risk of major unintended consequences such as famine and disease pestilences.

Jesus Himself warned:

7…And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows (Matt 24:7b-8).

Mosquitoes (whether from travel or genetic modification) can present serious problems.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Can the Great Tribulation Begin in 2011, 2012, or 2013? 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?
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?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (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 nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?

Living Church of God Evangelist Richard Ames with a “Telly” Award for “Tomorrow’s World”

COGwriter

Evangelist Richard Ames of the Living Church of God reported the following today:

Dr. Meredith in his upcoming September-October Living Church News article writes: “Remember, in doing our part, we need to take proper action to protect ourselves and our families…. May God inspire us all to ‘take action’ and to do our part in every way—yet seeking God more than ever so that we are ‘walking with God’ and can then have His protection and His guidance in the days just before the final events of the age occur—as they surely will.” His article includes excerpts from a Federal Emergency Management Administration “Guide to Citizen Preparedness” which emphasizes “creating a disaster plan” and presents guidelines on “disaster supply kits.”

Yes, as Dr. Meredith admonishes us, we need to “take action” physically and spiritually. We are living in the “end-time” or “the time of the end,” an expression emphasized five times in the book of Daniel. Outlining the sequence of prophetic events, Jesus stated, “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).

In these dangerous times, we need to live with active faith and ensure that we “are not troubled” as we experience “the beginning of sorrows.” We all need to draw close to God for His protection. Psalm 91 is a psalm of protection. Dr. Meredith referred to it in his last co-worker letter (June 16, 2011). “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust’” (vv. 1-2). Read all of Psalm 91—pray for protection and thank God that He has given His angels the responsibility to watch over those whom He has called: “But to which of the angels has He ever said: ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:13-14).

The living Christ at God’s right hand has given us this instruction: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). We must stay alert spiritually and recognize the “signs of the times.” Your support of the Tomorrow’s World telecast, magazine and Web site enables millions to understand the prophetic trends revealed in God’s word, the Bible.

Famines are one important prophetic trend about which Jesus warned us. Consider the extreme poverty of millions trying to survive in northeast Africa. “The United Nations has described the drought in the Horn of Africa as an emergency, one phase before famine. Some 10 million people are affected in a triangle straddling Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. It says it is the worst drought in 60 years and almost a dozen aid agencies have launched massive appeals” (Reuters, “Somalia is world’s worst humanitarian disaster: U.N.,” July 11, 2011).

We in the Western world often complain about the most trivial inconveniences. Yet some of these African families walk on foot for miles seeking food: “‘We ran because of starvation,’ said Ulmay Abdow Issack, 32, who spent three weeks walking to the border with her six young children and sick husband. ‘We didn’t have anything to eat or drink on the journey.…’ Increasing numbers of malnourished young children are dying after trekking for weeks to receive emergency aid in what [U.N. officials say] has become the ‘worst humanitarian disaster in the world’” (ibid.).

Brethren and co-workers, we need to face the reality of these end-time prophetic trends. We should “sigh and cry” (Ezekiel 9:4) over the abominations that lead to massive suffering and starvation. We need to spend more time on our knees in fervent prayer for God’s Kingdom to come, and for the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to go forth with greater power and effect as a witness to the world (Matthew 24:14).

Another major trend we have all been watching, and have been experiencing to varying painful degrees, is the global financial crisis. More than one financial professional has described the crisis as our “financial Armageddon.” The deadline for raising the 14.3 trillion dollar U.S. national debt limit is August 2. Many are fearing that if the U.S. Congress does not act by this date, the nation could default on its debt obligations. Experts disagree about the exact scope of the danger, but even U.S. President Barack Obama stated in his news conference last Friday (July 15), “It is constructive to say that if Washington operates as usual and can’t get anything done, let’s at least avert Armageddon. I’m glad that people are serious about the consequences of default.” The Charlotte Observer called such a default “a development that could spawn chaos in financial markets around the world and kick the U.S. economy back into deep recession” (“Never have debt stakes been so high,” July 15, pp. 1, 5).

Unless we change our way of living, the U.S. and other Western nations will face skyrocketing inflation, and “financial Armageddon”! Will our Western nations repent of their immorality and disobedience to God’s righteous and holy commandments? As I reported in my April 2010 co-worker letter, “BBC Focus magazine recently analyzed the world’s nations according to the classic ‘seven deadly sins’—lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. What nation was measured as most sinful? Australia! The United States and Canada followed at numbers two and three (‘The Most Sinful Nation on Earth,’ February 2010, p. 30).”

I hope you have read our July-August Tomorrow’s World cover article, “The Debt Bomb!” Our Director of Business Operations, Mr. Dexter Wakefield, warns us: “Estimates suggest that the total federal budget deficit in 2011 will reach $1.6 trillion! Along with this sobering news, the International Monetary Fund projects that total U.S. debt will exceed the nation’s annual output of goods and services sometime in 2012!” In other words, instead of the 2009 U.S. fiscal deficit amounting to 10.0 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the 2010 fiscal deficit amounting to 8.9 percent of GDP, “the highest since World War II,” “the government debt load will likely reach 100 percent of GDP by 2012…”

Is there any solution to these increasing dangers? Tomorrow’s World continues to call our nations and peoples to repent and turn to the God of the Bible. At rare moments in history, a few bold kings, prime ministers and presidents have called on their peoples to humble themselves and confess their national sins. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was one such leader. When his nation was at war with itself, experiencing terrible death and destruction, President Lincoln called the nation to “a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer” on April 30, 1863. The proclamation stated:

And whereas, it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.

Will any government today in our dangerous world have the courage to confess its national sins to God? We have restricted the public posting of God’s Ten Commandments; we have profaned His name; we have stolen from God and will reap a national curse (Malachi 3:8-9); we have practiced, marketed, and exported immorality and perversion. As Thomas Jefferson wrote: “And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever” (Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII, “Manners”).

The Apostle James affirms that our liberties are assured by observing and practicing the commandments of God. “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:8-12).

Let me share a powerful example of God’s intervention after a national leader called a nation to earnest prayer. During the early months of World War II, the advancing German army had conquered the lowlands of Belgium and the Netherlands, and had trapped the British Expeditionary Force—along with more than a hundred thousand French troops and some Belgians—in a coastal French enclave. There seemed no escape. But King George VI set aside May 26, 1940 as a National Day of Prayer in Britain. The nation responded in earnest prayer, and was soon blessed to see the evacuation of 338,000 troops across the English Channel—an event later called the “Miracle of Dunkirk.” Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave this assessment before the House of Commons on June 4, 1940:

“When, a week ago today, I asked the House to fix this afternoon as the occasion for a statement, I feared it would be my hard lot to announce the greatest military disaster in our long history. I thought—and some good judges agreed with me—that perhaps 20,000 or 30,000 men might be re-embarked… The whole root and core and brain of the British Army, on which and around which we were to build, and are to build, the great British Armies in the later years of the war, seemed about to perish upon the field or to be led into an ignominious and starving captivity.”

Prime Minister Churchill called the evacuation “a miracle of deliverance.” Our nations do need a “miracle of deliverance.” But the greatest deliverance will come with the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ! If you have not read our inspiring booklet, The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?, I encourage you to write to the regional office nearest you (listed on page 30 of the Tomorrow’s World magazine) or to request it on-line from the Tomorrow’s World Web site.

As humanity’s long and painful experimentation with worldly systems nears its end, we can lift up our eyes in faith and hope, looking forward to and preparing for the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). Jesus encourages us to persevere and to visualize our glorious future: “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).

Thank you for your faithful and continuing support as we strive to do our part to fulfill the Great Commission.

We in the Living Church of God believe that we must strive to fulfill Jesus’ statements about gospel proclamation in scriptural passages such as Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20. We have long worked hard to try to do that.  And we believe that now is the time for people to take spiritual and physical action as time is getting shorter.  Famine is now killing many in Somalia (see new item U.N.: Somalis dying in world’s worst famine in 20 years), and I do not believe the the African continent is the only place it will hit within the next year.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

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 evangelists?
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.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo (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 nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
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.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West?
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans?
Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? Was the millennium (sometimes called chiliasm) taught by early Christians? Who condemned it. Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near?
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? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2018 or 2019?
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something?
The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2011, 2012, or 2013? 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?

COGwriter

Just received the following “invitation” in an email:

“Maya 2012: Transform at the Source”

An International Conference and Global Gathering at Chichen-Itza

December 13-22, 2012

Basically, the promoters of the above tour are telling people to go to Yucatan, Mexico to experience the 2012 solstice and be able to become “transformed” when some of the New-Agers believe the world will begins its dawn to a new age of peace.  And while the Bible tells of an age of peace, it warns that there will be several false claims of peace, and I have long suspected that this whole 2012 matter may fulfill one of those biblical prophecies.

When I wrote the book , 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, my primary focus was on what would likely happen during the years 2012 through 2020.   And my book documents certain beliefs of the New Agers and why they will be wrong about 2012.

A new age of peace will not start then.  And unless they are truly converted there, any who go to the Yucatan for the 2012 solstice will not be transformed by God (though their own experiences, imaginations, and even demonic influence could possible “transform” them).

Those who want biblically documented truth about 2012 and what will happen after that, should consider acquiring the book, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect. The book shows how various non-biblical prophecies tie into and/or contradict biblical ones.  Based upon the biblical roadmap, it helps lay out what will happen, what must happen, what cannot happen, and even biblically some of what might happen.  Since the book was written, world events have aligned with at least 16 predictions in the book.

2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect book is available in several languages, as well as through Amazon, Kindle, and Barnes&Noble.com.

2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect This is a link related to a book by Bob Thiel (COGwriter). This also has YouTube videos. This book documents and explains hundreds of prophecies. And since it was published, many have already started to come to pass.
2012 y el surgimiento de la secta secreta 2012 libro del Dr. Thiel en Español.
2012 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Edition) 2012 Buch von Dr. Thiel in deutscher Sprache.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel em português. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 16 já começaram a acontecer.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Brazilian Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel.  Edição em português do Brasil. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 16 já começaram a acontecer.

COGwriter

Here are two items from the American news today:

Obama, in stand for gay rights, calls for repeal of DOMA

Christian Science Monitor – ‎19 July 2011

In nod to gay rights, Obama backs repeal of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), which defines marriage as between one man and one woman and withholds federal benefits from gay married couples.

Obama touts possible bipartisan pact on debt limit

Fox News – ‎19 July 2011

Washington – President Barack Obama spoke Tuesday of a possible bipartisan accord that includes both spending cuts and tax increases and allows the US debt limit to be raised before an Aug. 2 deadline.

The Bible defends marriage and only defines it as between a man and a woman (cf. Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-10).  It repeatedly condemns homosexual acts (for specific scriptures, see US Senate Votes to Lift Homosexual Ban in Military).

The inability to think clearly and to approve of homosexuality is specifically discussed in the New Testament:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.  (Romans 1:18-32)

Because many do not wish to retain God in their knowledge, this is part of why much of the leadership of the USA thinks that increasing debt is a good thing.  And why non-homosexuals politicians (and others) are supporting homosexual causes.

Has Barack Obama has considered what will be the long term consequences of continuing to increase debt?  Notice:

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…5 Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man… 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 2:3,5,6-8).

The above prophecy will be fulfilled at the time of the end according to related scriptures (cf. “The message was true, but the appointed time was long…in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come”, Daniel 10:1,14). Daniel 8:19, 11:27,29,35 use same the Hebrew term for “appointed time” as Habakkuk 2:3, while Daniel 10, using a different term, ties the latter days to the time in Daniel 8:19. Habakkuk 2 was not fulfilled in its entirety anciently. Also, it makes little sense that Habakkuk’s comments would be directed towards the modern nation of Israel as it does not have enemy creditors. It must be a nation or group of nations with some prominence at the appointed time of the end.

This problem will cause sudden destruction among those who are spiritually drunk:

3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. (1 Thessalonians 5:3-7)

Notice that both Paul and Habakkuk seem to have tied drunkenness in with this sudden calamity (so did Jesus in Luke 21:34-35). Truly the USA is not spiritually sober, on its approach now to marriage.

Notice how Ezekiel’s writings confirm that those who made profits improper will be punished:

13 “Behold, therefore, I beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst. 14 Can your heart endure, or can your hands remain strong, in the days when I shall deal with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and will do it. 15 I will scatter you among the nations, disperse you throughout the countries, and remove your filthiness completely from you. (Ezekiel 22:13-15)

Borrowing money that will not be paid back is a “dishonest profit” which the American (as well as British) peoples have been living off of for the past several years. They will be scattered for this and their filthiness (see also Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided?). Sexual immorality and abortion are simply some outward signs of this filthiness.  No longer supporting the Defense of Marriage Act is one more step in that direction.

Notice also the following:

Over the weekend, Egan-Jones Ratings Co., of which Sean Egan is president, cut its rating on US government debt from AAA to AA+…(Daily Reckoning, July 19, 2011).

And the major credit rating agencies are considering do the same.  This will increase the interest that the USA will pay on its debt and ultimately help put the USA in a debt spiral that will it will not recover from (I also believe that “natural disasters” and other events will be factors as well).

Right now, the USA political leadership wants and hopes to increase debt without getting its credit rating downgraded and to  borrow more from its foreign creditors.  Despite all that is happening, these leaders believe that not increasing debt will be a greater calamity.  They are in biblical error.

The USA is setting itself up for financial ruin, and even worse.   Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed as examples (Jude 7; 2 Peter 2:6).  The currently militarily strong USA will not be spared (Daniel 11:39).  Watch (Mark 13, Matthew 24).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Prophecies of Barack Obama? This article has eight reasons why Barack Obama is apocalyptic and eight reasons why Barack Obama is not the Antichrist. It 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 at the COGwriter website 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 since he is to be the USA president?
Will the Anglo-Nations be Divided? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people?
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? What will happen to the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
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.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West?
Is Tony Blair Apocalyptic? The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom converted to Catholicism shortly after leaving his office and has been active in European affairs. What role might he play?
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect This is a link related to a book by Bob Thiel (COGwriter). This link also has YouTube videos. This book documents and explains hundreds of prophecies. And since it was published, world events have aligned with at least 15-16 predictions in the book (including some related to Barak Obama ) and many more will to come to pass.
2012 y el surgimiento de la secta secreta 2012 libro del Dr. Thiel en Español.
2012 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Edition) 2012 Buch von Dr. Thiel in deutscher Sprache.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel em Português. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 14 já começaram a acontecer.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Brazilian Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel. Edição em português do Brasil. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 16 já começaram a acontecer.

Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople

COGwriter

Today, I received some emails from Greek/Eastern Orthodox supporters who were attacking me on three main points.  Various un-Christian personal insults and derogatory comments were included in a couple of the emails, which I will not quote today, as my focus is on why their attacks are unfounded.

First, they do not believe that their church wants unity with Rome. My response to many of them included the following:

Almost none of the American Eastern Orthodox I have spoken with want unity with Rome, yet many of its top leaders outside the USA do. The point of my article on that is to warn the Orthodox why they should not ultimately unite, though, sadly many around the world will.

Notice something in the news a few weeks ago from a Romanian Orthodox archpriest wanted who Protestants, and apparently also Rome, to understand that the Orthodox churches are committed to ecumenism:

Orthodox churches remain “fully committed” to ecumenical cooperation, despite recent disagreements with Protestants, according to a senior Orthodox theologian…

“…The Orthodox churches are more fully committed than ever to CEC and will be working to strengthen the Orthodox presence,” said Viorel Ionita, interim general secretary of the Conference of European Churches (CEC). The 65-year-old Romanian theologian was speaking after chairing a Budapest consultation of CEC’s Churches in Dialogue Commission…http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm/2011/6/27/Orthodox-churches-still-support-ecumenism-theologian-says

Also, notice what Pope Benedict XVI said about a meeting with representatives of Eastern Orthodox patriarch, Bartholomew of Constantinople last year (which I reported in the article Pope and Patriarch Meet: Unity at “Crucial Stage”):

Pope Praises Orthodox Commitment to Unity

Says Dialogue Is at “Crucial Point”
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 28, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox is at a “crucial point” and invited heartfelt prayer to the Holy Spirit for progress to continue.

The Pope said this today when he addressed members of a delegation from Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I…

The fact is that many of the Eastern Orthodox leaders outside the USA are working to promote unity with Rome (see also Encyclical of Bartholomew I Patriarch of Constantinople Opposes Those Who Warn Against Catholic Unity).  The fact that many of the Eastern Orthodox seem to not want to see this is sad.

The second attack I received was that nearly all the emails included a previous email to me from another Orthodox supporter who quoted the version of the “Nicene Creed” that the Orthodox use (without labeling it as the Nicene Creed), and then after quoting that creed to me, stated:

Is that original enough ?

And, of course, no it is not original enough.  Something finally adopted over 300 years after Jesus and Paul were killed does not qualify as original.

Sadly, most of the Orthodox have overlooked many aspects of original Christianity.  And the “creed” that was sent to me by many of them is not original.  Notice what an Orthodox priest wrote about that creed:

The Nicene Creed, which was formulated at the Councils of Nicaea in 325 and of Constantinople in 381, has been recognized since then as the authoritative expression of the fundamental beliefs of the Orthodox Church. The Creed is often referred to as the “Symbol of Faith.” (Fitzgerald T.  Teachings of the Orthodox Church.  Copyright @2006 Saint Mary Romanian Orthodox Church)

It is sad that many of the Orthodox believe that they have not changed doctrine and that their 4th century creed was original.  I have studied into this “creed” matter and will state that I believe that the closest to the original one I have found (which long preceded Nicea) would be acceptable to those of us in the Living Church of God, and it differs greatly from the “Nicene Creed” I was sent numerous times by Orthodox supporters.

The third attack (and there have been variations of this) is as follows:

The original faith of the Bible has been and always will be with the Orthodox Church.

You seem to know little of what the Orthodox believe, and even less about Orthodox history

Now, the above is from the original person who sent me the “creed” and asked if it was “original enough?”  And of course, even according to Orthodox sources, what was sent to me by the Orthodox was not used that way by original Christians.  It is sad that many of the Orthodox do not understand even their own history.  And while I do not claim to know everything about them, in addition to studying the Bible and early Christianity, I have read some of their literature, visited some of their churches, been to their main headquarters in Constantinople, consulted with some of their scholars, and had one Orthodox priest review two of my books (one published, the other, longer one, still being worked on) that also discussed Orthodox doctrine (and some of their history).

Yet, it is many of the Orthodox that do not know their doctrinal history.

Most Orthodox do not realize, for example, that they originally WERE NOT TRINITARIAN.  And that many of their patriarchs in the fourth century were documented to be semi-Arian (binitarian).  Many also seem to forget that the Orthodox observed Passover on the 14th in Asia Minor until they compromised.  Orthodox scholars will admit that the use of icons in Orthodoxy was not an original apostolic practice.  The Orthodox endorsement of military service is contrary to the practices of the original Christians (including people that the Orthodox consider to have been saints who opposed it in writing).  Many early Orthodox saints endorsed the millennium, but officially, the Orthodox no longer believe in it.

IF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH HAS “The original faith of the Bible” WHY HAVE THEY CHANGED SO MANY DOCTRINES?  WHY DO MANY OF THEM NOT REALIZE THAT THEIR CREED WAS THE RESULT OF 4TH CENTURY MEETINGS AND NOT ORIGINAL?

Now, it is not that ALL of the Orthodox teachings are in error.  My article Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Living Church of God documents quite a few published similarities between the groups.  But it also documents many innovations/changes that the Orthodox have accepted (note: if you are Orthodox and you believe any of my documented statements are in error, please provide verifiable references as I am desirous of being as accurate as I can be).

Both the Living Church of God and the Eastern Orthodox claim to have the faith of the original church that Jesus founded through His apostles. Yet, while the Orthodox changed on many original doctrines, this has not been the case for the Church of God, specifically (for details, please see Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Living Church of God). The Living Church of God has held fast to many original doctrines that the Orthodox still have, as well as many that the Orthodox ended up changing.  I believe that the Living Church of God better represents what many of the Orthodox claim their church represents.

The documented fact is that many in the leadership of the Orthodox (especially outside the USA) are interested in unity with Rome, the creed that the Orthodox now use is not original (as it is a modified 4th century document), and the Orthodox have changed too many doctrines to truthfully claim that they have the “original faith of the Bible”.

Now, as a rule, I have found that I can have civil discussions with the Orthodox, but many (though not all) of the emails lately have been less than civil.  Some seem to be at least somewhat interested in the truth, and others are not.

I pray that any Orthodox who wish to have the “original faith of the Bible” will prayerfully study my articles and compare them to the Bible so that they can repent and come to the true original faith of the Bible (cf. 2 Timothy 2:25).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Living Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Why Should American Catholics Should Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics The talks for unification involve compromise and the apparent rising up of a changed religion that no one should accept.
Binitarianism: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning Was the original church binitarian or trinitarian?  What were some of the beliefs of many Orthodox patriarchs on the Godhead in the 4th century?
Passover and the Early Church Did the early Christians observe Passover? What did Jesus and Paul teach? Why did Jesus die for our sins?
Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare? Here are current and historical perspectives on a matter which show the beliefs of the true church on military participation. Is war proper for Christians?
Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? Was the millennium (sometimes called chiliasm) taught by early Christians? Who condemned it. Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near?
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/GCI members or any interested in supporting the faithful church. It also explains a lot of what the COGs are all about.