Church of God News

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COGwriter

This week the US FDA announced a new anti-smoking campaign, and today, the pharmacy CVS decided to end its apparent hypocrisy with tobacco:

February 5, 2014

WASHINGTON — Drug store giant CVS Caremark announced Wednesday it will no longer sell tobacco products at its 7,600 pharmacies by Oct. 1.

CVS sells $1.5 billion in tobacco a year, but CVS officials said selling cigarettes while promoting wellness doesn’t make sense.

“Selling tobacco is very inconsistent with being in that business,” said Helena Foulkes, CVS’s president. “We really thought about this decision as it relates to the future as a health company — it’s good for customers and our company, in the long run.”  http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/05/cvs-will-no-longer-sell-tobacco-products/5207853/

Congratulations to CVS!  This is a bold and gutsy move.  And, this will cost CVS more that the loss of tobacco sales–it will also lose customers who may have also come to buy other items.  While CVS has a plan to attempt to recoup its losses, that is a big financial risk.

That being said, it is fantastic that CVS took a moral stand on this.  Smoking kills, and CVS and others know this.  A decision, like CVS has done, is very difficult for profit-driven corporations and this is a decision that I must really commend.  Smoking directly causes a lot of health problems.

Speaking of health problems, notice the following reports, one of which highlights another problem with smoking, loss of a teeth:

When it comes to persuading teenagers not to smoke, you have to think short-term, the Food and Drug Administration says…One graphic TV ad shows a teenager buying a pack of cigarettes at a convenience store and literally pulling out a tooth with a set of pliers to pay for them.

“What’s a pack of smokes cost? Your teeth,” the narrator says. “Smoking can cause serious gum disease that makes you more likely to lose them.”

Other ads speak to teenagers’ growing desire for independence by showing how the need to smoke can take over their lives.

Anti-smoking advocates say they’re thrilled by the ads.

“For the first time the federal government is really using the same quality advertising agencies, using the same kind of research, that the tobacco industry has used for decades to market to kids,” says Matthew Myers, who heads the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “However, this time they’re doing it to discourage tobacco use among kids.”  http://www.wbur.org/npr/271117790/wanna-smoke-it-could-cost-you-a-tooth-the-fda-warns-teens

The Food and Drug Administration will start their first tobacco prevention campaign targeted at adolescents.

“The Real Cost” addresses the more than 10 million 12 to 17-year-olds who have already began smoking or may pick up the habit soon and are in danger of becoming life-long addicts, the FDA said in a statement on Monday. Advertisements will start running across the country on Feb. 11…

One in five deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to cigarette smoking, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It causes about 90 percent and 80 percent of male and female lung cancer deaths, respectively. Men are 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer if they smoke, and women increase their risk 13 times when they start the habit.

In addition, cigarette smoking causes nine out of 10 deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Smoking cigarettes also increases coronary heart disease and stroke risk two to four times…Every day, almost 4,000 kids under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette. An additional 1,000 adolescents make the move to become daily smokers.

“Our kids are the replacement customers,” Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, told the Washington Post.  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-launching-campaign-to-stop-youth-from-becoming-life-long-smokers/

The loss of a tooth may get teenage girls to think more than twice about taking up smoking.  The fact that smoking also causes premature wrinkling is something that young women also tend to wish to avoid.  While teenage boys probably will not be that interested in that, a way to discourage older males is to warn that ED is also associated with cigarette smoking.

Yet, to appeal to teenage boys, cigarette companies have tended to use images of tough, masculine appearing men. To appeal to teenage girls, tobacco companies have tended to indicate that smoking is exciting and keeps one slim.

Hopefully, between the risk of death, serious diseases, and gender-based concerns, hopefully less and less people will smoke.  Despite that, many do smoke and the economic costs to the USA and even China are staggering:

China is said to have 350 million smokers – more than the entire population of the United States. We bring up the U.S. for comparison because the Surgeon General coincidentally released a report last month that really caught our eye. The fallout of tobacco use, the report says, costs Americans $289 billion a year – about four times as much as the U.S. federal budget for education combined. Twenty million Americans have died in the last 50 years as a result of smoking – more than the tally from all of our wars put together, of course. This year, nearly 500,000 Americans will die prematurely because of smoking.

These numbers are just staggering. And in China, the numbers are much, much worse.  http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/01/is-obesity-the-next-smoking/

The tobacco industry knowingly sells and entices people to use an addictive poison –nicotine, which is part of why it is hard to stop.

I even read a report today that ‘third-hand’ smoking harms health.  What is that?  That is the residue of cigarette smoke on furniture, walls, ceilings, and floors. Notice:

Exposure to surfaces and objects that have been saturated in cigarette smoke, labeled as “third-hand smoke,” may be as deadly as smoking the cigarette itself.

A new study from the University of California, Riverside finds that the third-hand smoke that has soaked into the surfaces, objects and environment around people becomes increasingly toxic over time. Third-hand smoke is defined as the second-hand smoke that is allowed to settle on objects in any environment. Non-smoking children, co-workers, spouses and friends of smokers breathe in such carcinogens left in rooms exposed to smokers. http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2014/02/03/study-third-hand-smoke-exposure-as-deadly-as-smoking/

Smoking is not good.  It is not a Christian thing to do.  Its ‘fruits’ are bad.

Actually, I wrote a full article about smoking a week ago (which I also updated today) that may be of interest to some titled Should Christians Smoke?

God wants people to change/repent (Acts 17:30)–which means that, despite its difficulties, quitting smoking can be done (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13). The sooner one starts the better one will be. Christians should strive to not smoke.

Some items of possibly related interest include:

Should Christians Smoke? Is smoking a sin? What does the Bible teach? What have COG leaders written? Can smokers change? What about marijuana?
Living as a Christian: How and Why? In what ways do Christians live differently than others. What about praying, fasting, tithing, holy days, and the world? There is also a YouTube video related to that also called: Living as a Christian: How and Why?
Who Was Herbert W. Armstrong? How is He Viewed Today? Includes quotes from the 1973 edition of The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong and explains how he is and should be viewed today.
Overcoming Sin What is sin? How are Christians suppose to overcome it? Here is also a link to a video titled How to Overcome Sin.
How to Prevent Sin This is an article by Herbert W. Armstrong.
Just What Do You Mean Conversion? Many think that they are converted Christians. But are they? Would you like to know more about conversion. Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.

COGwriter

February is Black History Month in the USA and Canada (the UK uses October instead), and I thought that this would be a good time to explain that there were real and pretended Christian leaders in North Africa in the third century (irrespective of race).

In the third century, once there were some real Christians in northern Africa, Origen (who apparently was not black) noted that there were two groups that he considered to be “Ebionites,” one who believed in the virgin birth (and that would be those who this paper suggests were also known as the Nazarenes) and those who did not:

Let it be admitted, moreover, that there are some who accept Jesus, and who boast on that account of being Christians, and yet would regulate their lives, like the Jewish multitude, in accordance with the Jewish law,—and these are the twofold sect of Ebionites, who either acknowledge with us that Jesus was born of a virgin, or deny this, and maintain that He was begotten like other human beings…(Origen. Contra Celsus, Book V, Chapter 61).

The true Christians in Africa were not those associated with Origen (please see what happened in Alexandria), nor those that denied the virgin birth. The true Christians were those professed Jesus and had practices similar to those of the Jews.

Origen of Alexandria, however, was not a true Christian. Origen even appeared to recognize several non-canonically writings as scripture and had been influenced by some Gnostic teachings. Sadly, Origen referred to The Epistle of Barnabas like he does actual parts of the Bible (Origen. Contra Celsus, Book I, Chapter 63), seems to also do so with the falsely titled Gospel of Peter (Origen. Commentary on Matthew, Book X, Verse 17. ANF), and even calls what I consider to be the “demonically-influenced” Shepherd of Hermas as “divinely inspired” (Cited in Metzger, Bruce M. The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance).

In the third century at least one African leader stood up to allegorists like Origen. The Catholic Encyclopedia reported:

An Egyptian bishop, Nepos, taught the Chiliastic error that there would be a reign of Christ upon earth for a thousand years, a period of corporal delights; he founded this doctrine upon the Apocalypse in a book entitled “Refutation of the Allegorizers” (Chapman, John. “Dionysius of Alexandria.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 14 Aug. 2008 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05011a.htm>.).

A nineteenth century anti-millennial scholar named Giovanni Battista Pagani went as far as to write the following about Nepos and those who supported the millennium:

…all those who teach a millennium framed according to Jewish ideas, saying that during the millennium, Mosaic law will be restored…These are called Judaical Millenarians, not as being Jews, but as having invented and upheld a millennium according to Jewish taste. The principal authors of this error were Nepos, an African Bishop, against whom St. Dionysius wrote his two books on Promises; and Apollinaris, whom St. Epiphanius confound in his work against heresies (Pagani, Giovanni Battista. Published by Charles Dolman, 1855. Original from Oxford University. Digitized Aug 15, 2006, pp. 252-253).

It should be of interest to note that neither Nepos nor Apollinaris were Jews (Nepos may have been black), but were condemned for having a religion that had “Jewish” beliefs. And since Apollinaris is a Catholic saint (see article Apollinaris of Hierapolis), it should be clear that the respected and non-Jewish Christian leaders in the early third century clearly did hold to ideas that were condemned by the allegorists.

The following from Dionysius clearly shows that Nepos was still respected after he died (Nepos died prior to Dionysius’ mid-third century writing of the following) and really did not refute him from a biblical perspective:

But as they produce a certain composition by Nepos, on which they insist very strongly, as if it demonstrated incontestably that there will be a (temporal) reign of Christ upon the earth, I have to say, that in many other respects I accept the opinion of Nepos, and love him at once for his faith, and his laboriousness, and his patient study in the Scriptures, as also for his great efforts in psalmody, by which even now many of the brethren are delighted. I hold the man, too, in deep respect still more, inasmuch as he has gone to his rest before us. Nevertheless the truth is to be prized and reverenced above all things else. And while it is indeed proper to praise and approve ungrudgingly anything that is said aright, it is no less proper to examine and correct anything which may appear to have been written unsoundly. If he had been present then himself, and had been stating his opinions orally, it would have been sufficient to discuss the question together without the use of writing, and to endeavour to convince the opponents, and carry them along by interrogation and reply. But the work is published, and is, as it seems to some, of a very persuasive character; and there are unquestionably some teachers, who hold that the law and the prophets are of no importance, and who decline to follow the Gospels, and who depreciate the epistles of the apostles, and who have also made large promises regarding the doctrine of this composition, as though it were some great and hidden mystery, and who, at the same time, do not allow that our simpler brethren have any sublime and elevated conceptions either of our Lord’s appearing in His glory and His true divinity, or of our own resurrection from the dead, and of our being gathered together to Him, and assimilated to Him, but, on the contrary, endeavour to lead them to hope for things which are trivial and corruptible, and only such as what we find at present in the kingdom of God. And since this is the case, it becomes necessary for us to discuss this subject with our brother Nepos just as if he were present (Dionysius of Alexandria. From the Two Books on the Promises. Copyright © 2008 by Kevin Knight. Viewed 8/14/08).

In other words, Nepos knew his Bible, but did not hold to the same position that allegorists like Dionysius of Alexandria held. But those who held to Judaeo-Christian beliefs, while slightly chastised, simply were almost never condemned by the early allegorists. Mainly, because the early allegorists knew that the original Christians held to beliefs and practices that the allegorists considered to be Jewish–and at this stage, the allegorists simply did not have the ability to condemn the literalists because most who professed Christ at the time knew that the literalists had ties to the original apostolic church. (More information on faithful Christians in northern African locations can be found in the article Arabic Nazarenes May Have Kept Original Christian Practices.)

There were faithful early Christians in Northern Africa, of various races, in the third century who believed in the millennium and did not compromise with the allegorists. There are also Christians like that today.

Before going further, I would also mention that a first century heretic from North Africa/Egypt, named Cerinthus went to Ephesus.

Cerinthus held to improper theological concepts and he taught allegorizing of scripture, taught that non-biblical tradition was more important than scripture, blended Gnostic teachings with the Bible, implemented improper festivals, claimed to be an apostle, and claimed that angels gave him messages.

Irenaeus indicates that John was very seriously opposed to to that heretic:

There are also those who heard from him that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus, and perceiving Cerinthus within, rushed out of the bath-house without bathing, exclaiming, “Let us fly, lest even the bath-house fall down, because Cerinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.” (Irenaeus. Adversus Haeres.  Book III, Chapter 3, Verse 4)

The Apostle John commended the Church at Ephesus because, “you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars” (Revelation 2:2), thus indicating that the faithful there did not accept the false Cerinthus–yet many accept at least parts of Cerinthus’ teachings today.   More on Cerinthus can be found in the article Cerinthus: An early heretic.

Sabbath-keeping in Ethiopia

Perhaps it should also be noted that there long have been Sabbath-keepers who claim Christ in the African nation of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is in east-north-east Africa. In fourth century Ethiopia, Frumentius reported:

“And we assemble on Saturday,” he continues ; “not that we are infected with Judaism, but to worship Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath” (Davis, Tamar. A General History of the Sabbatarian Churches. 1851; Reprinted 1995 by Commonwealth Publishing, Salt Lake City, pp. 41-42).

Notice some of the statements by Ethiopian Emperor Galawdewos (A.D. 1540-1559):

We do celebrate the Sabbath, because God, after He had finished the Creation of the World, rested thereon…and that especially, since Christ came not to dissolve the law but to fulfill it. It is therefore not in the imitation of the Jews, but in obedience to Christ, and His holy apostles, that we observe that day (Quoted in Bradford C.E. Sabbath Roots, The African Connection. L. Brown and Sons, Barre (VT), 1999, p. 26).

Notice also the following:

W. W. Oliphant, an African church leader in the early years of the twentieth century says that the “Sabbath in Ethiopia [has] been kept from the days of Nimrod, about 2140 B.C. (read Gen. 10:8, 10), that is 700 years before the birth of Moses. . . . Africans or Ethiopians had been Sabbath observers from the days of Nimrod, the son of Cush” (Quoted in Bradford C.E. Sabbath Roots, The African Connection. L. Brown and Sons, Barre (VT), 1999, p. 26).

Although the above connection to the time of Nimrod is difficult to prove or disprove, the reality is that Ethiopia has had a long history of keeping the seventh-day Sabbath.

While most people around the world who keep the seventh-day Sabbath are not part of the Church of God (more Jews and Seventh-day Adventists keep it), it is interesting that it was kept in an African Gentile nation like Ethiopia centuries before the Seventh-day Adventist church formed, and perhaps prior to the birth of Christ.

Perhaps early faithful Christians introduced the Sabbath to the Ethiopians, or it is also possible that the Queen of Sheba brought Sabbath-keeping to Ethiopia after meeting with Solomon or perhaps it was known from the time of the flood.

Either way, some Gentiles in Africa have been keeping the Sabbath for centuries. And those of us faithful in the Church of God still do so today. The Continuing Church of God has affiliated Sabbath-keeping congregations in Africa who also hold to Nepos’ teachings about the millennium.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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?
Cerinthus: An early heretic What did he teach? What did the Apostle John do about him?
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 were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church.
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Should Christians be Nazarenes today? What were the practices of the Nazarenes.
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?  A related sermon is titled The Millennium. The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church?
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformatted Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s. condemned it. Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near?

Official Photograph

COGwriter

Saw the following headline and report:

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. budget deficit is set to fall to $514 billion this year, down substantially from last year and the lowest level by far since President Barack Obama took office five years ago, a congressional report said Tuesday… Last year’s deficit registered $680 billion. Obama inherited an economy in crisis and the first deficits ever to exceed $1 trillion. The 2009 deficit, swelled by the costs of the Wall Street bailout, hit a record $1.4 trillion, while the deficits of 2010 and 2011 both registered $1.3 trillion.  http://www.aol.com/article/2014/02/04/us-deficit-to-drop-to-514b-lowest-of-obamas-years-in-office/20822809/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D438840

After seeing the above report, I saw the following:

6 Takeaways from the CBO’s Latest Budget Report

1.  Over the next decade, there will be millions fewer full-time workers because Obamacare creates disincentives to work...
2. Fewer people are expected to gain insurance through Obamacare as a result of the botched rollout of the exchanges…
3. CBO estimates that Obamacare’s risk corridors program—the provision which has been dubbed a bailout of insurance companies—will result in a net revenue gain for the government rather than a net payout to insurance companies…
4. Taken by themselves, Obamacare’s insurance provisions will increase the deficit by $1.4 trillion… 
5. Under current law, annual budget deficits will remain roughly equal to their current size for a few years before they start to rise again… 
6. Total federal debt is huge.  http://reason.com/blog/2014/02/04/6-takeaways-from-the-cbos-latest-budget

The total federal debt is huge.  Nor am I convinced that number 3 is quite right.  What I am convinced of is that the debt continues to rise.  Treasury Secretary Lew believes that the debt has not risen enough? When will the USA believe it has enough debt and stop increasing it? Notice a chart from Wikipedia:

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National debt for selected years

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The recognized federal debt has raised by over USD$ 7 trillion since 2008.  Barack Obama took office January 2009. Notice also the following:

Debt Up $6.666 Trillion Under Obama…

When President Obama was first inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2009, the debt of the U.S. government was $10,626,877,048,913.08, according to the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Public Debt. As of Jan. 31, 2014, the latest day reported, the debt was $17,293,019,654,983.61—an increase of $6,666,142,606,070.53 since Obama’s first inauguration.

The total debt of the United States did not exceed $6.666 trillion until July 2003. In the little more than five years of the Obama presidency, the U.S. has accumulated as much new debt as it did in it’s first 227 years.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/ali-meyer/debt-6666-trillion-under-obama#nationaldebt

But now, even that increase is apparently not enough:

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew urged Congress on Monday to act quickly to raise the federal debt limit, saying he will run short of cash to pay the nation’s bills by the end of the month without additional borrowing authority. Enforcement of the debt limit is suspended, but it will come back into force Friday under the terms of a deal lawmakers struck in the fall.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/government-likely-to-exhaust-debt-ceiling-options-soon-lew-warns/2014/02/03/88f66ac8-8ce0-11e3-833c-33098f9e5267_story.html

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Republican leaders in Congress have said they do not want another showdown over spending or health care such as that led to a partial shutdown of the government. And Lew said he is optimistic that an agreement to raise the debt limit above its current level — approximately $17.2 trillion — will be reached soon.  http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/03/271091973/time-is-short-on-debt-ceiling-treasury-secretary-says

It should be noted that if the Federal Reserve’s ‘quantitative easing’ program (essentially a ‘legal’ form of counterfeiting) is also considered and continued at current levels, then, for 2014, there is an additional $780 billion in debt.  So roughly (as calendar and fiscal years do not align) $1.3 trillion in debt increase for this period of deficit decrease (quantitative easing ‘debt’ was also higher in 2013).  The total amount of Federal Reserve debt is about $3.3 trillion.  So, the recognized USA debt (not counting future liabilities, interest, etc.) is over USD$ 20 trillion.

These amounts are so massive that most do not realize that the USA cannot reasonably expect to pay them off in real terms (hyperinflation or some other method might be used).  Creditors will not be happy when they are not paid.

The Bible warns:

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. 7 “The more they increased, The more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. 8 They eat up the sin of My people; They set their heart on their iniquity. 9 And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, And reward them for their deeds. 10 For they shall eat, but not have enough; They shall commit harlotry, but not increase; Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.  (Hosea 4:6-10)

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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, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it. 9 “Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster!   (Habakkuk 2:6-9)

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?
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? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves?
Can those in the USA/UK see the Handwriting on the Wall? Is everything fine in the USA/UK or is it like the days of Noah? Can we learn from the handwriting that appeared on a wall thousands of years ago? Here is a link to a related YouTube video Can you see the ‘Handwriting on the Wall’?
Hillary Clinton in Prophecy  Prophecy, Hillary Clinton? Are there prophecies that Hillary Clinton may fulfill?  Are there any prophecies that she has already helped fulfill?  Could Hillary Clinton be apocalyptic?  Could Hillary Clinton be the final Antichrist?
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.
Protestant and Church of God views of the United States in Bible Prophecy Is the USA mentioned in Bible prophecy? Some Protestants say yes, while others say no. What does the Bible really teach? Learn the truth about this. There is also a video available: Is The United States Mentioned In Bible Prophecy?
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos.
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?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
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? You can also see a YouTube video sermon The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Just What Do You Mean the Kingdom of God? A booklet that was written by Herbert Armstrong answers questions about the Kingdom.
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?
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.

COGwriter

February 4th is now called World Cancer Day.  The World Health Organization released a report about increasing cancer rates:

February 04, 2014

The cancer agency of the World Health Organization said in a new report that cancer cases are expected to surge 57 percent worldwide in the next two decades, leading to increased need for prevention techniques.

The World Cancer Report, released Tuesday, predicts what it says will be a “human disaster.” It says new cancer cases will rise from an estimated 14 million in 2014 to 22 million annually within the next 20 years. Cancer deaths are likewise expected to rise, from 8.2 million a year to 13 million annually.  http://www.voanews.com/content/report-cancer-rates-on-the-rise/1843906.html

February 04, 2014’World Cancer Day’ is celebrated annually on 4th of February to deepen our understanding of this killer disease. This year the campaign focuses on Target 5 of the World Cancer Declaration that is to reduce stigma and dispel myths about cancer with the tagline, “Debunk the myths”.

There has been enough research to validate that food acts as the most promising ammunition to fight the battle against cancer.  Keeping in with this year’s campaign we bring to you six common queries that are addressed by Dr Ashutosh Gautam, Clinical Operations and Coordination Manager, Baidyanath…

Three things to keep in mind in order to stay cancer free:

– Get to and stay at a healthy weight throughout your life.
– Be physically active on a regular basis.
– Make healthy food choices with a focus on plant-based foods.

2) What are the foods that up the risk of developing cancer?

Some cancers like that of the stomach have a more direct relationship with food. Foods which should be consumed in moderation to avoid the incidence of cancer are  –

• Processed meats such as bacon, sausages, lunch meats and hot dogs.

http://cooks.ndtv.com/article/show/world-cancer-day-2014-foods-that-prevent-cancer-478762

February 04, 2014

The World Health Organization is warning of a global “tidal wave” of cancer and says that by 2035, around 24 million people will have the disease…

What can we do about it?

Experts say the good news is that we can all take straightforward steps to cut risk.

About 30% of cancer deaths are due to the five risks: obesity, low fruit-and-vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, alcohol use.

Smoking is the single most important risk factor for cancer causing over 20% of global cancer deaths and about 70% of global lung cancer deaths.

Cancer-causing viral infections such as HPV are responsible for up to a fifth of cancer deaths in low and middle-income countries.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26031748

So it is known that diet, smoking, and sexual immorality (which is what normally leads to HPV) are causes for cancer.  I would also add that environmental toxins and pollution are also factors.  The Bible says to flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18).  Smoking also is against biblical precepts (see Should Christians Smoke?).

As far as diet goes, cancer is not the only problem that eating too much refined carbohydrates, such as sugar, can cause.  Notice the following study:

February 3, 2014

We know that too much sugar in your diet can lead to type 2 diabetes and obesity, but what about your heart?

A study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine demonstrates a link between sugar added in meal preparation or processed foods and the risk of death from a heart problem…

Compared with people in the study who received only 8 percent of their total daily calories from added sugar, those who consumed 17 to 21 percent increased their risk of death by heart disease by 38 percent. The statistic doubled for those who exceeded 21 percent of their daily calories in sugar.  http://www.healthline.com/health-news/food-high-sugar-diet-tied-to-risk-of-serious-heart-problems-020314

February 3, 2014

Could too much sugar be deadly? The biggest study of its kind suggests the answer is yes, at least when it comes to fatal heart problems.

It doesn’t take all that much extra sugar, hidden in many processed foods, to substantially raise the risk, the researchers found, and most Americans eat more than the safest amount…

“Too much sugar does not just make us fat; it can also make us sick,” said Laura Schmidt, a health policy specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. She wrote an editorial accompanying the study in Monday’s JAMA Internal Medicine.

The researchers focused on sugar added to processed foods or drinks, or sprinkled in coffee or cereal. Even foods that don’t taste sweet have added sugar, including many brands of packaged bread, tomato sauce and salad dressing. Naturally occurring sugar, in fruit and some other foods, wasn’t counted.  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-too-much-sugar-is-linked-to-fatal-heart-disease/

I would also add that artificial sweeteners sweeteners should be avoided as they cause their own set of problems.  It may be of interest to note that the amount of people with diabetes has increased right along with the increased consumption of artificial sweeteners.

The Bible itself warns about eating things that are not really food:

2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

Refined processed “breads,” artificial sweeteners, chemical additives, and some other items commonly associated with junk foods and hydrogenated fats would seem to be consistent with that warning.  Many are struggling with obesity and artificial sweeteners are not the answer.  Cancers, heart diseases, and diabetes are all associated with increased consumption of processed and refined carbohydrates such as plain sugar.

What should you eat? You should eat real food and be careful about your quantities.  Most people should eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, while eating less processed foods, less junk foods, much less sodas, less GMOs, and less hydrogenated fats.  Notice what the Bible states:

2…Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods. And I will also add that even non-diet sodas are highly refined and also should not be consumed in large quantities.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Obesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned? What diseases are associated with eating too much refined foods?
Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy Are there disadvantages to being overweight? Is junk food really bad for you? Does the Bible discuss overeating and/or obesity? Is overeating having an effect on the US military? What are the ramifications of personal and national health for overeating? What should you eat? This is a sermonette-length YouTubevideo.
Should Christians Smoke?  Is smoking a sin? What does the Bible teach? What have COG leaders written? Can smokers change? What about marijuana?
Alcohol: Blessing or Curse? This is an article from the old Good News magazine that attempts to answer this question.
Binge Alcohol Drinking and the Bible Many college students and others overindulge in alcohol. Are there health risks? What does the Bible teach?
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here is a related YouTube video GMO Risks and the Bible.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
Does God Heal Today? What does the Bible teach? Herbert Armstrong tries to explain this.
UK Study Supports Daniel Diet Daniel and his companions looked better eating more vegetables and avoiding strange meats. Has modern science confirmed this?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel.

COGwriter

Valentine’s Day is observed by many in February. Currently we are starting to see store displays and tv & print ads for it.

In the past, the improperly named Christianity Today (CT) sometimes seemed to try to justify its position on the holiday by talking about love, as this is what its Valentine’s page has began as follows:

February 14

1 John 4:7
Let us love one another, for love comes from God. (NIV)

The implication of the above was that the Apostle John somehow supports Valentine’s Day. The misuse of this scripture here is appalling.

But what is the love of God?

2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. (1 John 5:2-4)

Valentine’s Day has more to do with lust than love–Valentine’s Day is not from the Father but from the world. Notice what the Apostle John wrote a couple of chapters earlier in the same book:

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17, NKJV)

Valentine’s Day is a worldly holiday, essentially built upon lust of the eyes and the pride of life. It will pass away, it is not a true Christian holiday.

An article on Valentine’s Day from CT stated:

So why do people send “valentines” or “love-tokens” to one another on that day? The origin of that tradition is not thought to have any connection with the saint’s day. Rather it comes from an early European belief that the second week of February was when birds began to mate. The idea suggests that lovers should probably exchange notes and gifts on February 14 in conjunction with what nature practiced. It then concludes with “Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is observed as a special day for love and romance. This topic is one of the oldest, and probably most-discussed, issues in history! As Christians, we know that love originates from God and that God is love (1 John 4:16).

Love comes from God, but paganism is a lie, and lies originated from the devil (cf. John 8:44). Compromise with pagan traditions for membership and/or economic factors is essentially one of the major areas that separates those truly in Christ’s Church from those who think that they are part of it. Furthermore, those in Christ’s Church try to live their lives in accordance with the law of God as Jesus and the original apostles did. Days that were compromises with paganism were not endorsed by Jesus or His early followers.

The same Apostle John who wrote that Christians were not supposed to be worldly but were to keep God’s commandment was not at the same time telling them to ignore the Bible and adopt pagan-compromised practices. But CT seems to want people to think otherwise.

And just because people use the name of Christ and call themselves Christian does not mean that they are faithful.

Notice what Jesus taught:

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

John did not observe Valentine’s Day or anything close to it.

Valentine’s Day is not a biblical holiday.

The modern practice of giving cards to ask/tell someone to “be my Valentine” seems to be a holdover from the ancient sexual lottery.

Christians who may be tempted to compromise need to ask themselves if the origins of Valentine’s Day are biblical or pagan.

None who profess Christ should observe this February “holiday”–it simply is not a Christian holiday. It began as a sexual lottery and still has sexual ramifications, even in the 21st century. That is not what love really is all about.

For more information, please consider studying the following items:

Valentine’s Day: Its Real Origins Christianity Today suggests that Valentine’s Day is good for Christians to observe. Is this true? There is also a YouTube titled Should Christians Observe Valentine’s Day?
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by WCG which states that this should be a local decision. What do the Holy Days mean? Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.
Are the Ten Commandment Still in Effect? This article quotes the ten commandments and combines some of the previous articles into one article about the ten commandments. The commandments are shown at Mount Sinai, before Mount Sinai, in the teachings of Jesus, after the crucifixion, and in the teachings of Paul. It addresses the most common “traditions of men” regarding them as well.
Were the Pharisees Condemned for Keeping the Law or Reasoning Around it? Many believe that the Pharisees were condemned for keeping the law, but what does your Bible say? If they were not condemned for that, what were they condemned for?
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.
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 were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?

Janet Yellen

COGwriter

There are hearings being held today for Janet Yellen to be the first woman to become the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve:

February 03, 2014

The new head of the U. S. Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, was sworn in Monday in Washington, D.C.

Yellen had been the Vice Chair of the Fed and is first woman to lead the central bank in its 100 year history.

The Fed is responsible for keeping prices stable and unemployment under control.  http://www.voanews.com/content/yellen-sworn-in-as-fed-chief/1843261.html

Janet Yellen has served as the Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve for the past three years.  Janet Yellen as the next Fed Chairman, is expected to continue to inflate the money supply.

Notice the following report from one that has concerns about her economic views:

Yellen brings to the Fed fallacious economic views that wouldn’t convince the most common of common economic thinkers. Quoted in Timemagazine recently about what powers an economy, Yellen observed that “economic stimulus comes through higher house and stock prices, which causes people with homes and stocks to spend more, which causes jobs to be created throughout the economy and income to go up throughout the economy.” Where does one begin? If individuals sell appreciated stocks or homes in order to consume, then by definition sellers have new consumptive ability that is matched by the reduced consumptive ability of the buyers of appreciated stocks and homes.

After that, it’s a tautology that all consumption always and everywhere results from production first. If this is doubted, readers should attempt a life of consumption without work. Unless someone’s willing to lend them the fruits of their own production, these ‘consumers’ will starve.

Yellen is also known to subscribe to the view that inflation is an economic stimulant. Interesting there is that the investors whose funds power all economic activity are buying future dollar income streams when they invest. How a devalued dollar would prove a lure to investors is one of those mysteries that the hapless economics profession has never explained. Quantitative easing (QE)? Wouldn’t life be easy if flooding banks with dollars could stimulate the creation of the next Google, but for creating dollars with no regard for the value of same, QE simply corrupts money, and for doing so robs the economy of vitality for money losing its most useful feature as a stable measuring stick that facilitates the very trade that causes us to produce to begin with.

The reality is that creating wealth means producing goods and services, not inflating the money supply.  Everyone should know that.  The Bible indicates because many do not wish to retain the knowledge of God they come up with ideas that are false and covetous:

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 1:28-32)

Inflating the money supply, of itself, does not increase goods and services that other people value and is dangerous.  It is covetous of the wealth of others (in the USA and other nations) to expect to continue to borrow from them and/or inflate the currency, hence putting their investments at risk.  That is certainly being untrustworthy.  This would also seem to be evil-minded and unrighteous.

As far as dangers from the bond-purchasing and other quantitative easing programs that Janet Yellen supports, in needs to be understood that they are pledges that increase debt and inflate the money supply and are a source of ‘dishonest profits.’  Notice two end time prophecies written thousands of years ago:

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, Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it. ( Habakkuk 2:6-8)

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. 16 You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 22:13-16)

Some have claimed that once she becomes Federal Reserve Chairman, Janet Yellen will be the most powerful woman in US history or currently in the world (see CNN: Fed’s Yellen to become ‘world’s most powerful woman’), this would suggest that Janet Yellen is helping fulfill the following prophecy:

As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths…(Isaiah 3:12)

Note: I am not saying that if US President Obama chosen a man instead that the man would necessarily do a better job.  To a degree, Janet Yellen is following the lead of past Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and his policies have truly set the stage for the destruction of the USA dollar. Yet Janet Yellen’s views and intended practices are at least as dangerous. Her policies will help lead to hyperinflation.

Many events aligning with properly understood biblical prophecy are coming to pass that relatively few understand. And the USA is definitely on its way down and out.

Federal Reserve officials and others may wish to consider studying the following prophetically-oriented 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?
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? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves?
Hillary Clinton in Prophecy  Prophecy, Hillary Clinton? Are there prophecies that Hillary Clinton may fulfill?  Are there any prophecies that she has already helped fulfill?  Could Hillary Clinton be apocalyptic?  Could Hillary Clinton be the final Antichrist?
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.
Protestant and Church of God views of the United States in Bible Prophecy Is the USA mentioned in Bible prophecy? Some Protestants say yes, while others say no. What does the Bible really teach? Learn the truth about this. There is also a video available: Is The United States Mentioned In Bible Prophecy?
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos.
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?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
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? You can also see a YouTube video sermon The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Just What Do You Mean the Kingdom of God? A booklet that was written by Herbert Armstrong answers questions about the Kingdom.
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?
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.

COGwriter

A new report from the European Commission has exposed a massive degree of financial corruption in the European Union.  Here is how the 230 page report titled Corruption begins with the following introduction:

Corruption, whether it takes the form of political corruption, corrupt activities committed by and with organised criminal groups, private-to-private corruption or so-called petty corruption, continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing Europe. While the nature and scope of corruption varies from one EU Member State to another, it harms the EU as a whole by reducing levels of investment, obstructing the fair operation of the Internal Market and having a negative impact on public finances. The economic costs incurred by corruption in the EU are estimated to amount to around EUR 120 billion annually.

Corruption can also undermine trust in democratic institutions and weaken the accountability of political leadership. Moreover, it enables organised crime groups to use corruption to commit other serious crimes, such as trafficking in drugs and human beings.

The EU is strongly committed to fighting corruption.  http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_397_en.pdf

Here is some of what the BBC reported about the above:

The extent of corruption in Europe is “breathtaking” and it costs the EU economy at least 120bn euros (£99bn) annually, the European Commission says.

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem has presented a full report on the problem.

She said the true cost of corruption was “probably much higher” than 120bn.

Three-quarters of Europeans surveyed for the Commission study said that corruption was widespread, and more than half said the level had increased.

“The extent of the problem in Europe is breathtaking, although Sweden is among the countries with the least problems,” Ms Malmstroem wrote in Sweden’s Goeteborgs-Posten daily.

The cost to the EU economy is equivalent to the bloc’s annual budget.

For the report the Commission studied corruption in all 28 EU member states. The Commission says it is the first time it has done such a survey. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26014387

Reports of EU corruption could play a role in potential elections for the UK to pull out of and/or change its status with the European Union.  What may emerge from this is the implementation of more surveillance by the EU of government officials and others.  The Bible teaches of a time when the European Beast power will have major surveillance abilities (Revelation 13:15-18)–and, unintentionally, this is something the US President Barack Obama promised to help the Europeans with after the Snowden leaks embarrassed the USA because of its extensive espionage on the EU in general and Germany in particular (view also Will USA Spying Help the Beast Power?).  Allegations of financial corruption will probably be one of the reasons given for justification for the end time Beast to control buying and selling in the time of the end (cf. Revelation 13:16-17).

While governmental corruption may be more obvious in certain countries, the reality is that countries such as the USA have “legal” bribery in the form of financial contributions to political parties.  The EU has other forms of corruption, as well, that the report from its Commission did not seem to try to address

The Bible teaches against corruption and specifically teaches that bribes are not to be taken:

8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.  (Exodus 23:8)

19 You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.  (Deuteronomy 16:19)

23 A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back  To pervert the ways of justice. (Proverbs 17:23)

23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man! (Isaiah 5:23)

Notice that perversion is tied into accepting bribes.  In terms of spiritual corruption, Europe’s five-euro notes show a small version of the ancient Greek goddess Europa (and she is to be added to its other bank notes).  Europe gets its name from Europa, who was considered to have been a nymph.  An image of Europa is also shown on the Greek two Euro coin:

Greek 2 Euro Coin Shows Europa Riding the Beast

The coin shows Europa riding the Beast (some versions say Zeus raped her, others that he seduced her).

Europe’s symbols have also tended to confirm its prophetic role in this regard. Although the Europa story comes from Greek mythology, the Bible mentions the following related to Europe:

3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

7 But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits…18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. (Revelation 17:3-9,18)

Most theological scholars, including Catholic ones, believe that the city of seven mountains (hills in some translations) represent Rome.

The fact that, not only on the Greek coin and Euro banknotes, but also in front of the EU Council of Ministers Office in Brussels, Belgium, there is a large statue of an immodest female Europa on a beast shows that the European Union is apparently not ashamed of its suggested ties to these scriptures, though it obviously is preferring to promote its mythological connection. Years ago, a Larry Blake sent me several pictures of the woman (Europa) riding the bull (a beast) as symbols of European Union which are linked for additional proof of these ties. And now, with intentionally utilizing an image of Europa on its currency, Europe wants to continue its connection to mythology.

Now as far as the European corruption report goes, at some point, this may lead to protests and other problems in Europe.  I still expect civil unrest in Europe, including possibly large scale civil war, before the final Beast of Revelation 13 rises up (Revelation 13:1-4).

Despite its current problems, which are consistent with biblical prophecy (Daniel 2:41-43), the Bible shows that Europe will rise up, make a deal with the harlot woman of Revelation 17:1-10, reorganize (Revelation 17:11-13), and become the end time Beast power of Revelation 13.

The ties to Greco-Roman mythology, the Bible, and modern Europe are obvious to those who will look. Sadly, not enough people in Europe (or elsewhere) have made the connection of this to end time prophecy. What will ultimately rise up in Europe is not what rationale people should ever want and some of Europe’s symbolism should help alert people to this.  But most will dismiss it (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

Some items 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”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
WTO/TTIP and the Babylonian Beast Will international trade agreements like WTO/TTIP/CETA lead to the fulfillment of end time prophecies concerning the Babylonian Beast power that the Book of Revelation warns against? What does the Bible teach? A related video would be WTO Trade Deal and the Rise of the European Beast Power.
Can those in the USA/UK see the Handwriting on the Wall? Is everything fine in the USA/UK or is it like the days of Noah? Can we learn from the handwriting that appeared on a wall thousands of years ago? Here is a link to a related YouTube video Can you see the ‘Handwriting on the Wall’?
The Snowden Leaks are Leading to the Destruction of the USA Can what happened with the leaks of what the NSA has done help the USA to be taken over? What does the Bible teach that seems to be related to this? Here is a related YouTube video titled Are the Snowden NSA leaks leading to the destruction of the USA?

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God is pleased to announce our latest video on our Bible New Prophecy YouTube channel.

22:03

Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse

Is Barack Obama apocalyptic?  Could he be the final Antichrist?  Dr. Thiel has been writing about this since 2008 and covers this in this 2014 video.  Dr. Thiel quotes statements that Barack Obama made in his 2014 State of the Union address and tied several in with events that are aligning with the warnings in the Book of Revelation also known as the Apocalypse.  Is the US “alliance with Europe remains the strongest the world has ever known” as Barack Obama’s State of Union message claims true or very dangerous?   A related news post is titled Obama and the real ‘State of the Union’.

Our latest BNP video is titled: Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse

Hungary Hyperinflation 1946 (Mizerák István)

COGwriter

Voice of America reported the following:

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve gave the improving U.S. economy a vote of confidence this past week, saying it no longer needs as much stimulus to keep growing.  The Fed’s actions will raise key U.S. interest rates, but some economists say it has caused a drop in stock and currency values in some emerging markets.

The U.S. central bank has cut back economic stimulus efforts, which will push some U.S. interest rates higher.

The change prompted investors to move money from emerging markets to the United States in search of better returns, contributing to some stock and currency market turmoil.  http://www.voanews.com/content/rising-us-interest-rates-could-cause-market-turmoil-in-other-nations/1842168.html

Notice that because there has been a slight decrease in the amount of ‘stimulus’ from the Federal Reserve, it is believed that USA interest rates will rise and affect international markets.  This was already affected the USA stock market which posted several losses recently.

The US Federal Reserve created a series of programs called quantitative easing (they have been numbered as QE1, QE2, and QE3).  These programs have made USA interest rates artificially low by, instead of just borrowing from regular creditors, the US Federal Reserve essentially pretended to borrow money by electronically printing it up and at the same time getting US Treasury notes to supposedly back up what it printed.  While other countries could not get away with this for long, because the US dollar remains the world’s reserve currency, it has, for now, appeared to have gotten away with it.  This will not last forever (see, for example, Economist blames US dollar for global crisis and calls for the end of its dominance) and the creation of such ‘dishonest profits’ will come back to haunt the USA (Ezekiel 22:13-16).

Hyperinflation has hit others in the past, and despite what some may wish to think, the USA itself is not immune from it. Its debt policies seem determined to cause it some day.  The time will likely come when USA interest rates will rise so much that this will ultimately cause a crisis of intense magnitude.  The admitted US federal debt (not counting the money created through the quantitative easing programs) is so large that if interest rates rise to the place that they were in the USA in the early 1980s, the USA will have difficulty even paying the interest on the debt it has been accumulating.  This will tend to cause interest rates to further rise and contribute to hyperinflation.

The Bible teaches the following:

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. 16 You shall defile yourself in the sight of the nations; then you shall know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 22:13-16)

43 The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. 44 He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. 45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you…47 “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. 49 The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. 51 And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you. 52 They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you (Deuteronomy 28:42-45,47-52)

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).

It is the the United States and its Anglo-allies that have loaded pledges of debt in these end times that they really do not expect to pay back. In that respect they have recently plundered many nations. And while much is owed to nations such as China, Japan, and the Arab World, the Europeans have trillions of dollars invested in the USA–money they may be disappointed to have devalued. Enough so that they may divide the land among themselves and other creditors (cf. Daniel 11:39; Habakkuk 2:6-8).

Many will dismiss this and conclude that since the USA has been able to increase its debts that this will be able to go on forever, despite what the Bible says.  Those who doubt the Bible will be proven wrong.  That being said, it is likely, because of the USA dollar’s position in the world, that it will take a combination of events for creditors to rise up.  Notice some of what I wrote in my book Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term:

The Bible warns against the type of moral decline that is occurring in the U.S.A.:

12 Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel:  “Because you despise this word, And trust in oppression and perversity, And rely on them,  13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you Like a breach ready to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant. (Isaiah 30:12-13)

But how can this happen to the USA?  It will likely happen with a combination of events. Notice the following:

5 “Moreover the multitude of your foes Shall be like fine dust, And the multitude of the terrible ones Like chaff that passes away; Yes, it shall be in an instant, suddenly. 6 You will be punished by the Lord of hosts With thunder and earthquake and great noise, With storm and tempest And the flame of devouring fire. (Isaiah 29:5-6)

The debt situation of the USA is putting it at risk of being unable to recover should it be hit by weather problems, terrorist acts, war, riots, solar flares, severe earthquakes, civil unrest, devastation of their genetically-modified food supplies, food shortages, and/or various pestilences–an intensity of “sorrows” such as Jesus discussed in Matthew 24:4-8 leading up to the time of the Great Tribulation.   Disasters, especially if there is an ElectroMagnetic Pulse (emp) attack or a severe solar flare storm, could be part of a so-called “perfect storm” of events that could set the USA for destruction.

Many sorrows that the U.S.A. will face, like severe weather problems, diseases and earthquakes, will happen irrespective of who is in the White House (Amos 4:7-10; Luke 21:11).  Bible prophecy shows that no matter who is the next U.S.A. president (or his possible successors), the King of the North and King of the South will rise up and the U.S.A. will be ultimately destroyed unless national repentance happens.  Barack Obama, and some others however, may hasten the day of destruction.  (Thiel B. Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term.  Nazarene Books. 2013, pp. 69-70)

The end of the current world order with the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies dominating it is going to eventually end.  Hyperinflation is likely in the future for the USA dollar and certain other currencies.  This will not end well for the USA or its Anglo-Saxon allies.

While your nation probably will not repent (Anglo or otherwise), you can. Do not wait until it is too late. The fact that the debt clock has exceeds $17 trillion should serve as a wake-up call that the end of the USA will be coming (Habakkuk 2:3,5,6-8; Deuteronomy 28:42-45,47-52).

The belief that even with small cuts to the Federal Reserve’s ‘quantitative easing’ will cause interest rates to rise should be a signal to all that interest rates have been held artificially low.  Once interest rates get too high, the USA will have an economic crisis of unbelievable magnitude.  Can you see the Handwriting on the Wall?

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Two videos of possible interest may be Will Will USA Spying Help the Beast Power? aand Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
Will the Anglo-Saxon 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? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
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? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2021 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2014, 2015, or 2016? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2013 o 2014? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language video The Great Tribulation Will Not Begin Before 2017.
Can those in the USA/UK see the Handwriting on the Wall? Is everything fine in the USA/UK or is it like the days of Noah? Can we learn from the handwriting that appeared on a wall thousands of years ago? Here is a link to a related YouTube video Can you see the ‘Handwriting on the Wall’?
The Snowden Leaks are Leading to the Destruction of the USA Can what happened with the leaks of what the NSA has done help the USA to be taken over? What does the Bible teach that seems to be related to this? Here is a related YouTube video titled Are the Snowden NSA leaks leading to the destruction of the USA?
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
When You Sin: Do You Really Repent? This is an article by Charles F. Hunting.
Weather Blessings and Sorrows Are weather problems a warning? What should be done? What does the Bible teach about weather? What about floods, droughts, heat, earthquakes, tornadoes, and solar storms? Here is a related YouTube video Does God Use Weather? A related item in the Spanish language would be Bendiciones y maldiciones del clima.
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? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2021 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2014, 2015, or 2016? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2013 o 2014? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language video The Great Tribulation Will Not Begin Before 2017.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin?
Hillary Clinton in Prophecy Prophecy, Hillary Clinton? Are there prophecies that Hillary Clinton may fulfill? Are there any prophecies that she has already helped fulfill? Could Hillary Clinton be apocalyptic? Could Hillary Clinton be the final Antichrist?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.

Nagasaki Nuclear Bomb (1945)

COGwriter

An Iranian leader issued another warning today:

February 2, 2014

(Reuters) – Iran’s foreign minister held rare private talks with his U.S. counterpart on Sunday and said it would be a “disaster” if Tehran did not turn a provisional agreement to defuse a decade-old dispute over its nuclear program into a permanent deal.

In a sign of the thawing climate between the Islamic Republic and the West, Iran’s Mohammad Javad Zarif said he had held bilateral talks…”That would be a disaster for everybody – to start a process and then to abruptly end it within six months,” he said…

Iran insists its nuclear program is entirely peaceful but Western countries have long suspected Tehran of seeking the ability to develop a nuclear weapon…

Republican U.S. Senator John McCain was more sceptical, saying Iran had a long record of deception.

“There are three components to nuclear weapons – warhead, delivery system and the material itself. They are continuing and cheating on the first two without any constraint whatsoever,” he said.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/02/us-iran-nuclear-kerry-idUSBREA110CG20140202

Notice something I warned about this deal on November 24, 2013:

What this deal really does is give Iran some economic relief and time to upgrade its technology, while it agrees to get rid of some of its underdeveloped nuclear waste and centrifuges. This, in theory at least, will give Iran more money and more time to work on its nuclear technology, (Iran makes nuclear deal that Obama praises: Israel and Saudi Arabia are not pleased)

A week later I posted:

An ‘interim’ deal is in place that apparently will allow Iran to tap into some of its foreign bank accounts and/or lift some of the economic sanctions against it. The deal will mean that Iran will give up some of its older nuclear centrifuges and enriched uranium. And if you believe Iran and the USA government, it also means that Iran will not be developing nuclear weapons at this time. In my view, this agreement will allow Iran to continue to perfect its technology so that it will be better able to produce nuclear weapons over time. (BibleNewsProphecy: Iran in Prophecy)

Already Iran has announced new nuclear centrifuges.  Evidence has also come out that its nuclear intentions have not clearly been entirely peaceful (see Iranian report suggests Iran has wanted nuclear weapons because of the mystical 12th Imam).

Nuclear centrifuges, which Iran keeps trying to perfect (see Iran boasts of new nuclear centrifuges), basically help enrich uranium to the point that it can be used to develop nuclear energy or nuclear bombs. It is not necessary to substantially enrich uranium for peaceful nuclear power purposes.  While Iran is publicly claiming their intentions are peaceful, many believe that its real goal is to produce nuclear weapons, hence improved centrifuges will give it a better ability to make weapons.

The intended deal may promise, but not insure, that Iran will not be able to use any to produce weapons grade uranium that it would not wish to disclose, if Iran is being disingenuous, the deal could facilitate its production of nuclear weapons.

As I mentioned before, thus far the interim agreement appears to be (carnally-speaking) a good deal for Iran. However, in the long-run, Iran will likely suffer for decisions it will make, at least partially because of this deal.

That being said, parts of this deal put Israel and the USA itself at risk for terrorist attacks from ‘dirty bombs’ (bombs that have radioactive components) and possibly nuclear bombs in the future.

Iran’s use of such items may well result in its neutralization. As regular readers of the COGwriter news page are aware, I have been warning for some time that a regional war involving Iran, Israel, the USA, and/or Syria seems likely.

Since Iran, however, is NOT really south of Jerusalem (though it may support such a king per certain interpretations of the peoples listed in Ezekiel 30:1-9), it will not be the final King of the South of Bible prophecy (cf. Daniel 11:40-43). Because of that, I have tended to believe that Iran may somehow get “neutralized” before this final king rises up. A serious attack by the USA and/or Israel may neutralize Iran and much of its influence–but Iran might hit hard first.

“Neutralizing” Iran would allow most of the other Islamic states (like Saudi Arabia and Egypt) to continue to exist (Syria might not do well per Isaiah 17:1) and allow for the rising of the prophesied King of the South to rise up (revolution in Iran, is also another possibility, for its “neutralization”). Israel has stated in the past that it will stop Iranian nuclear ambitions whether or not the USA will support it doing so.

Yet, Iran may have a role in Isaiah 22 and this will not bode well for Israel (and probably ultimately not Iran). The USA, itself, may also be damaged.

The top leadership of Iran has a Shi’ite Muslim agenda, which they have concluded includes causing chaos and war. I, for one, do not believe that Iran’s leaders have given up on their goals of Islamic domination.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Iran in Prophecy Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? There is also a YouTube video titled Iran in Prophecy. Here is a related video Iran In Prophecy.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
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? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi. Another article related to Iran translated into the Spanish language is: Irán y líderes israelíes discuten las intenciones nucleares de Irán.
Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated Many want Jerusalem. Who does the Bible teach will control Jerusalem? Will the Jews be forced out of Jerusalem and many made captive? What did Jesus teach about this? Are nations even now considering providing the prophesied armies to surround Jerusalem? What is Jerusalem Day? What is Nakba Day? What events should Christians watch in Jerusalem as signs that the Great Tribulation will begin? What is the solution to Jerusalem? This is a video.
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, 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?
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?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2014, 2015, or 2016? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2013 o 2014? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language video The Great Tribulation Will Not Begin Before 2017.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.