Church of God News

Old manuscript mentioning the Didache

COGwriter

Did early Christians keep Saturday or Sunday?

While there are various opinions about this, some of those opinions are not based upon biblical or historical fact.

The Bible Sabbath Association, which is not a Church of God group (though it has members that are in the COGs, as well as members who are not), published a version of the following in the latest edition (March-April 2016, pp. 10, 19-20) of its The Sabbath Sentinel magazine:

The Didache and the Sabbath

This is the first part of a multi-part series explaining why certain early documents that are claimed against the seventh-day Sabbath are misunderstood and not actually against it.

Many on the internet and elsewhere, have pointed to some basically 19^th century translations of certain ancient documents in an attempt to support their contention that Sunday was observed early on by the original Christians. But do they?

The Didache, also known as the Teaching of the Twelve, is an ancient letter that may have been written near the time of the Apostle John’s death. Many consider it to contain the earliest indirect reference to Sunday worship by Christians.

The late French Cardinal Jean-Guenole-Marie Danielou is amongst those who have claimed that it supports Sunday observance by early Christians [1].

But, does this document support the observance of Sunday?

To determine that, we will include some of the original Greek to demonstrate what the early writings actually teach.

Early Writings

Before getting to those the Didache, there are two other writings that perhaps should be mentioned first.

The first is the alleged Epistle of Barnabas. This anonymous document is sometimes cited as proof for Sunday worship, but scholars do not believe that Barnabas wrote it [2]. It is not a truly “Christian” writing. It essentially claims God wanted the ‘eighth day’ instead of the seventh-day Sabbath in the Book of Isaiah (even though terms for eight or eighth are never mentioned in Isaiah).  Like some other heretical writings, it relies heavily on allegory to interpret the Bible.

There is also a quote allegedly from Ignatius’ Letter to the Trallians. However this “quote” is from verse 9 in the ‘longer version’ of that letter, which scholars discount as not authentic–it was lengthened much later by someone else—the shorter version, whose authenticity is widely accepted, says nothing about Sunday or “the Lord’s Day” [3].

The Didache

The Didache has been cited as the earliest non-scriptural “proof” of Sunday worship by those who profess Christ [4], although it does not ever use the word Sunday nor the expression ‘first day of the week.’

However, verse 14.1 is often cited as proof of Sunday observance by promoters of Sunday observance. The Greek expression in verse 14.1 in the Didache, is:

Κατὰ κυριακὴν δε κυριου [5].

The Greek word κυριακὴν above is transliterated as kuriaki/kyriake.

Here is something from a Catholic priest and scholar on the meaning of it:

… the Greek kyriake, meaning “belonging to the Lord (kyrios),” from which the English word “church” is derived. [6]

Basically kuriaki means the Lord’s way.  I believe I have translated verse 14.1 in the Didache, properly below (with two options):

According to the Lord’s way, even the Lord’s. or

According to the Lordly {way}, even the Lord’s.

However, it has normally been incorrectly translated by many Protestant scholars. Here are two examples:

“On the Lord’s day of the Lord,” by Kirsopp Lake [7].

“But every Lord’s day,” by Hall and Napier [8].

There are at least two reasons that the above by Lake, as well as Hall & Napier, can be shown to be mistranslated. The first is that the translators should have realized that the Greek term for “day” (ἡμέρᾳ) is missing in verse 14.1 [9] and is not required by the context. The second is how each of them began the translation of this particular verse. The beginning in both translations is in error and is inconsistent with the translators other translations in this letter.

The Greek word translated in verse 14.1 as “On the” by Kirsopp Lake and “But every” by Hall and Napier (Κατὰ) truly does mean “According to” as I have translated it. Κατὰ should not be translated as “On the” or “But every.”

The Greek word Κατὰ is translated as “according to” by Kirsopp Lake five times (1.5, 11.3, 12.4, 13.5, and 13.7 [10]) and “with respect” one time (4.10) in the same document. The other times Lake used the term “on” (verses 1.4, 7.3, 8.1a, 8.1b, 11.12, 16.8 [11]), it was NOT a translation from the Greek term Κατὰ.

Also the one time the Didache uses “on” with a day (which is in the translations of both Lake and Hall/Napier), it does not use Κατὰ, but it does include the Greek term for day (verse 8.1b) [12].

It may be of interest to note that in the KJV New Testament, Κατὰ is translated as “according to” approximately 110 times, and the only time (Acts 8:36) it is inaccurately translated as “on” it is not translated as “on” in the NKJV or NIV.

Hall and Napier translated Κατὰ as “according to” the six other times it is translated that SAME letter (see verses 1.5, 4.10, 11.3, 12.4, 13.5, and 13.7 [13]) and never translated it as “But every.” The one other time Hall and Napier used the term “But every” (verse 13.1) while translating the Didache it is not translated from the term Κατὰ [14]. Also, it may be of interest to note that the KJV never translated Κατὰ as “but every.”

Hence it appears that several translators intentionally exercised bias when translating verse 14.1.

The context of this portion of the Didache suggests that it may be referring to the Christian Passover (compare with 1 Corinthians 22:23-29) or some other gathering (compare with Acts 2:42), but only a forced and inaccurate translation would suggest Sunday (which is what many Sunday advocates suggest). The belief that this refers to Passover is centuries old. F. Coneybeare reported it was a belief of the Paulini c. 7^th century:

But the Paulini also keep the feast of the Pascha on the same day (as the Jews), whatever be the day of the full moon, they call it Kuriaki, as the Jews call it Sabbath, even though it be not a Sabbath. [15]

Since the Protestant translating scholars of the Didache did not observe an annual Christian Passover and tended to be Sunday observers, this may explain why they did not translate it literally. Instead they used terms that have, sadly, misled multitudes.

Irrespective of why, the reality is that the Didache did not do away with the seventh-day Sabbath and replace it with Sunday.

References

[1] Danielou, Cardinal Jean-Guenole-Marie. The Theology of Jewish Christianity. Translated by John A. Baker. The Westminister Press, 1964, p. 343
[2]Holmes M. The Apostolic Fathers–Greek Text and English Translations, 3rd printing 2004. Baker Books, Grand Rapids (MI) p. 271

[3] Ignatius.  Letter to the Trallians. Verse 9. In: Holmes M. pp. 164-165

[4] Slater T. Sunday. Transcribed by Scott Anthony Hibbs. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV. Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York

[5] The Didache.  Verse 14.1.   In: Holmes, pp. 250-269

[6] Pixner B. Church of the Apostles Found on Mt. Zion. Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 1990: 16-35,60

[7] The Didache. In Apostolic Fathers. Kirsopp Lake, 1912 (Loeb Classical Library) © 2001 Peter Kirby

[8] The Didache. Translated by Isaac Hall and John Napier. Revised by K. Knight. Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 7. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1886. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight. Note: The Greek is from Holmes, above.

[9] The Didache.  Verse 14.1.   In: Holmes, p. 266

[10] The Didache, Verse 14.1. Lake.

[11] Ibid

[12] The Didache.  Verse 8.1.   In: Holmes, p. 258

[13] The Didache. Hall Napier.

[14] Ibid
[15] Conybeare F.C. The Key of Truth: A Manual of the Paulician Church of Armenia. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1898, p. clii

Bob Thiel, Ph.D.

Dr. Thiel has been interested in the Church of God for over 40 years.  He was baptized by a Worldwide Church of God minister in 1977.  He writes extensively.  He is currently the Overseeing Pastor of the Continuing Church of God, one of the top ten groups (in terms of membership) whose leaders were once part of the old Worldwide Church of God.  Hundreds of thousands know him as “COGwriter” as he writes over 1000 news posts and articles per year at www.cogwriter.com.

This is the first article I have had published in The Sabbath Sentinel.

The published article is basically an extract from my article Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath.  Because of the restrictions in article length for The Sabbath Sentinel, I submitted just a few pages which they published. However, they asked for more, so the next issue should also have a short article from me, essentially continuing where the March-April article left off.

It is my hope and prayer that those who read the submitted articles will see that early church history supports Saturday, and not Sunday, as the Christian day of rest.  This article should be able to reach people we have not been able to reach in other ways. It is also my hope and prayer that those who read the articles will see that we in the Continuing Church of God have a true and proper grasp of early church history.

The series of articles expected to be published in The Sabbath Sentinel should also help non-Sabbath keepers realize that the historical evidence points to early, faithful, Christians resting on Saturday and not Sunday.

Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:

The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad Was the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath observed by the apostolic and post-apostolic Church? Here is a related sermon video The Christian Sabbath and How and Why to Keep It.
Early Sabbath Keeping in North America When did Europeans first keep the Sabbath in North America? Did the pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower keep Saturday or Sunday?
How to Observe the Sabbath How should you keep the Sabbath? This is an old article by Raymond Cole, with updated information for the 21st century.
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformatted Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s.
Is God Unreasonable? Some have suggested that if God requires Sabbath-keeping He is unreasonable. Is that true? Here is a link to a related article in Mandarin Chinese 一个不合理的神？
Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays.
Is Revelation 1:10 talking about Sunday or the Day of the Lord? Most Protestant scholars say Sunday is the Lord’s Day, but is that what the Bible teaches?
Sunday and Christianity Was Sunday observed by the apostolic and true post-apostolic Christians? Who clearly endorsed Sunday? What relevance is the first or the “eighth” day? A related sermon is also available: Sunday: First and Eighth Day?
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
Tradition and Scripture: From the Bible and Church Writings Are traditions on equal par with scripture? Many believe that is what Peter, John, and Paul taught. But did they?
Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath Did Ignatius write against the Sabbath and for Sunday? What about the Didache? What does the actual Greek reveal? Are mistranslations of these early writings relied on for false doctrinal positions?

Janet Yellen, Federal Reserve Chair

COGwriter

Mark Larson of Money and Markets (M&M) sees economic danger and says the “death of the American dream is coming”:

March 18, 2016

The wheels are coming off the economic cycle — central bank intervention or not.

That’s one of the conclusions of 209 fund managers who collectively handle almost $600 billion in assets. In the latest Bank of America Merrill Lynch monthly survey, a whopping 59% of those polled said we’re in the “late cycle” phase for the economy.

That’s the highest percentage going back to August 2008, as you can see in this chart:

Click image for larger view

What does that mean exactly? It means the economy is tired. Growth is on its last legs. Consumer and business sales momentum is slowing, while inventories are piling up and credit conditions are getting tighter.

It also means that more “financial engineering,” such as piling on more debt to fritter away on stock buybacks or M&A, is increasingly seen as a foolish strategy rather than a wise use of cash.  …

The death of the American dream is coming. Nothing will ever be the same again for you or for your family. The America we know and love will be no more. The fallout of this historic event will be horrific for the unprepared. It will trigger all-out panic — first in the U.S. bond market … and later in the stock market. It will destroy millions of jobs … sentence most Americans to a “dark age” of depression and poverty … send gold and silver prices careening higher … and push the U.S. government to the brink of collapse. http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/wheels-coming-off-cycle-central-bank-intervention-not-76682

What ultimately is coming will be much worse than the “death of the American dream,” it will be the utter destruction of the United States of America (Daniel 11:39; Habakkuk 2:6-8).

Janet Yellen, the Chair of the Federal Reserve made some comments this week that she sees risks and seems to be backing off of previous comments to raise interest rates as she planned before for 2016:

March 17, 2016

By cutting the outlook for rate hikes this year, Fed Chair Janet Yellen just put a fire hose to the volatility, says one Wall Street strategist.

“I’m shocked by Wednesday’s statements and press conference because it’s much more dovish than the market was expecting and I think that’s going to keep the VIX at bay for now,” Larry McDonald, managing director and head of global macro strategy at ACG analytics, told CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Wednesday.

In a news conference Wednesday afternoon Yellen said global economic and financial developments continue to pose risks to the U.S., and revised down her path for further interest rate increases.

“I think they have literally taken the fire hose out and kept it on, and I think that really shocked a lot of people,” added McDonald. http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/16/yellen-just-gave-stocks-the-green-light-strategist.html

In the past, Janet Yellen has (correctly) stated that increasing artificially low interest rates sooner and gradually is less disruptive to the economy than abrupt rises.

Postponing the raising of rates will not stave off what will ultimately happen.

The USA has been playing financial games that will contribute to its destruction in the long-run. Artificially controlling interest rates (keeping them lower than what a market without government invention of false assets) makes most feel that the USA has its financial condition under control. But that is not the case.

Consider that:

In fiscal year 2015, the federal budget is $3.8 trillion. These trillions of dollars make up about 21 percent of the U.S. economy (https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/spending/ accessed 11/04/15)

The USA currently has over$19 trillion dollars in admitted debt and is heading towards $20 trillion with the latest budget deal that a Republican-controlled Congress and a Democrat president agreed to last Fall. Should interest rates ever rise above 19%, then the interest cost on the debt alone will equal the total of ALL expected US federal government spending.

While that may seem far fetched to some, the interest rates at some point in time will rise past that level and the USA dollar will be worth little more than the cotton-paper it is often printed on (much USA money is actually electronic only, and electronic entries at some point in time will have no particular value).

You might think, well, why don’t you use more historically likely rates, say 8%. Well at 8%, assuming a US$20 trillion debt, then just the payment of interest will be nearly one-half of all federal spending. And since it is not likely that the politicians will cut the other spending to compensate nor raise taxes even to cover it, we can properly conclude that the USA would then increase its total debt at an even higher clip.

Some voiced concerns that the US dollar would collapse or start to collapse in 2015 and some details are in the following relatively short videos:

Market Collapse then New World Order in 2015?

A long-time financial adviser named Harvey Organ claims that claims that because of insufficient gold in the central banks of USA and UK, that Shanghai would bring about exposing this and that this would lead to a massive, overnight, rise in the price of gold and silver, diminished value of their currencies. He states a market collapse will occur before the end of 2014, that the petroyuan will replace the petrodollar, and that a Chinese led New World Order will be in place for 2015. Is this possible? Where does the leader of the ‘New World Order’ come from? What does the Bible teach?

Project Prophecy: Economic Collapse Starting in 2015?

Jim Rickards once worked for the CIA and also was once part of a a USA government program called called ‘Project Prophecy.’ He has a video were he claims that starting in 2015, the USA may have economic collapse resulting in a 25-Year Great Depression. He mainly cites debt figures and claims advises alternatives to the USA dollar which he says will collapse? What did Rand Paul state? Can the USA dollar collapse? Does anything he advises agree with Bible prophecy? What does the Bible show is coming? Does the Bible show a future collapse of the USA dollar? What about the Euro, silver, or gold? Dr. Thiel addresses these.

USA Ushering in the Collapse of its Currency This Year?

According to financial reporter Porter Stansberry, the USA is ushering in the collapse of the US dollar through its debt, regulations such as FATCA, and other policies. Porter Stansberry proposed that marshal law could be implemented in the USA. Is any of this possible? Will there end up being a collapse of the USA dollar? While parts of FATCA have been delayed, will the USA end up losing its economic dominance? What does Bible prophecy reveal?

While as I publicly stated last year, the USA dollar would not collapse in 2015, the USA has taken steps to encourage others in the world to look for a way to replace the USA dollar as the world’s primary reserve currency. The IMF formally announced late last year its plan to include China’s currency in the “basket of currencies” for its SDR (Special Drawing Rights) (see IMF adding China’s currency to its basket).

There will be ‘bumps in the economic road’ until the Europeans (Daniel 2:41-43) and others are able to replace the USA dollar. There even could be an extended time that the USA dollar will remain on top.

But that will change quickly.

Notice what the Bible prophesies:

3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. (1 Thessalonians 5:3-4)

2 And the Lord answered me:

“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.

4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.

5 “Moreover, wine is a traitor,
an arrogant man who is never at rest.
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death he has never enough.
He gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”

6 Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,

“Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own—
for how long?—
and loads himself with pledges!”
7 Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be spoil for them.
8 Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them. (Habakkuk 2:2-8; English Standard Version)

The arrogance of political leaders in increasing the debt will not happen forever. The USA is the most indebted nation in the history of humanity and those in it should try to understand this prophecy.

While Janet Yellen hopes that something like what Habakkuk 2:7-8 will not happen, it will come to pass. Her policies and pronouncements will NOT be able to save the USA financially.

Those who think the current world order with the USA’s dollar on top will last through the end of this century are in error.

Some items of possibly related interest include the following:

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. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be 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?
British are the Covenant People What do ‘British’ and ‘Britain’ mean in Hebrew? Are the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons people of the covenant? Does the British royal family connect to the throne of David? What does the Bible teach? What does history show us? Is there any DNA evidence related to British-Israelism? When did Christianity make it to the British Isles? Could Jeremiah have made it to the British Isles? What type of Christians made it to the British Isles? Did the last King of England believe in British Israelism?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2016, 2017, or 2018? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives.
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 This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing.
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.
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?
Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. 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 Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Amazon Kindle edition.
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.

Jerusalem

COGwriter

March 20, 2016 is claimed to be ‘Palm Sunday.’

Notice a report about it from before:

Pope Francis celebrated his first Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square…Palm Sunday recalls Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem but its Gospel also recounts how he was betrayed by one of his apostles and ultimately sentenced to death on a cross. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/24/francis-leads-palm-sunday-mass-in-st-peter-square-opening-holy-week-for-church/#ixzz2OSt2qtLx

Despite the above report, did you know that Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem that is now commonly called Palm Sunday did not happen on a Sunday?

And even if it did, based upon the Hebrew calendar it would have been in April for 2016.

Monthly calendar issues aside, did you know that ‘Palm Sunday’ was not observed by the early church?

Some believe that it began in Mesopotamia in the late fourth century. However, Roman Catholics did not seem to adopt it until much later.

The Catholic Encyclopedia notes:

Binterim, V, i, 173, on the authority of Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, and of Josue Stylites, states that Peter Bishop of Edessa, about 397 ordered the benediction of the palms for all the churches of Mesopotamia. The ceremonies had their origin most probably in Jerusalem. In the “Peregrinatio Sylviæ”, undertaken between 378 and 394…

In the three oldest Roman Sacramentaries no mention is found of either the benediction of the palms or the procession. The earliest notice is in the “Gregorianum” used in France in the ninth and tenth centuries.

Growing up Catholic, I remember getting palm leaves on “Palm Sunday.” Palm Sunday is claimed to be the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. It certainly, even according to Catholic sources, was not an original apostolic practice. But is what is being observed even related to something that happened on a Sunday?

No.

To prove this, let’s start the sequence:

1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany…(John 12:1).

Since Passover is on the 14th of Nisan, subtracting six days bringing us back to the 8th of Nisan (if it was six nights before the evening of 14th, as Jesus arrived for dinner, technically it could have been on the 7th in the evening). Jesus apparently arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey the next day (which is either the morning of the 8th or 9th):

12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
The King of Israel!”

14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey’s colt.” (John 12:12-15).

Since Jesus died on what we call Wednesday on the 14th of Nisan, the 8th of Nisan would have been a Thursday and the 9th of Nisan would have been a Friday. Thus, there was no “Palm Sunday.” It seems to have been a “Palm Thursday” or “Palm Friday”.

It would seem that next day (Friday/Saturday) is when He went to the Temple, overthrew the money-changers, and was praised by the children (Matthew 21:12-16).

The Old Testament Passover lamb was selected on the 10th of the month (Exodus 12:3), and this may have been symbolically fulfilled by Jesus by entering the Temple on the 10th. Another reason, to conclude that this is so, is because in the Old Testament the lamb was kept until the 14th (Exodus 12:6), and in Luke’s account, Jesus continued teaching daily in the Temple (Luke 19:47; 22:53), until the time He partook of Passover (which was the 14th).

Now, the Christian Passover, which Jesus, the apostles, and the early Christians all observed (and are told to do so in the Bible) is Thursday after sunset. Yet, probably none who observed Palm Sunday (which neither the Bible nor the early church enjoined) will actually observe the true Christian Passover (which both the Bible and the early church enjoined).

Something to think about.

Some links of possibly related interest may include:

What Happened in the ‘Crucifixion Week’? How long are three days and three nights? Was Palm Sunday on a Saturday? Did Jesus die on “Good Friday”? Was the resurrection on Sunday? Do you really know? Who determined the date of Easter? (Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Murió Jesús un día miércoles o un viernes?) A sermon of related interest is titled What did and did not happen in the ‘Crucifixion week’?
Did Early Christians Celebrate Easter? If not, when did this happen? Where did Easter come from? What do scholars and the Bible reveal? Here is a link to a video titled Why Easter?
Holy Day Calendar This is a listing of the biblical holy days through 2024, with their Roman calendar dates. They are really hard to observe if you do not know when they occur 🙂 In the Spanish/Español/Castellano language: Calendario de los Días Santos. In Mandarin Chinese: 何日是神的圣日？ 这里是一份神的圣日日历从2013年至2024年。.
Is There “An Annual Worship Calendar” In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles, including one by the Tkach 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.
Keeping Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread How should Christians keep Passover, especially if they are by themselves. Why does the Church of God not require lambs for Passover? How does one keep the Days of Unleavened Bread? For a step-by-step video for Christians to keep it, check out CCOG Passover Service.
Preparing for Passover The Apostle Paul taught that Christians should examine themselves prior to taking Passover. This YouTube video sermon gives suggestions on how to prepare.
Passover and the Early Church Did the early Christians observe Passover? What did Jesus and Paul teach? Why did Jesus die for our sins? There is also a detailed YouTube video available titled History of the Christian Passover.
Melito’s Homily on the Passover This is one of the earliest Christian writings about the Passover. This also includes what Apollinaris wrote on the Passover as well. Here is a related sermon, also titled Melito’s Homily on the Passover.
TPM: Passover on the 14th or 15th? While the real COG observes Passover on the 14th, some observe it on the 15th. Why is the 14th correct? A related sermon is titled Is Passover on the 14th or 15th for Christians?
Should Christians Keep the Days of Unleavened Bread? Do they have any use or meaning now? What is leaven? This article supplies some biblical answers. Here is a YouTube video intended to be viewed for the first day of unleavened bread: Christians and the Days of Unleavened Bread.
Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history teach about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
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?

Islamic State soldiers

COGwriter

Notice the following:

Under Military Pressure, IS Lost 22 Percent of Its Territory in 15 Months

March 17, 2016

Increased military pressure against Islamic State fighters in both Syria and Iraq led to the group losing 22 percent of its territory in the past 15 months, with about half of the loss coming since the beginning of this year.

That is the result of analysis by monitoring group IHS, which said the militants are “increasingly isolated and being perceived as in decline.”

IHS pointed to the area of northern Syria between the Islamic State de facto capital of Raqqa and the Turkish border, where airstrikes from Russia and a U.S.-led coalition combined with Kurdish and Sunni fighters on the ground pushed out the militants and freed key border crossings.

Under IS control

Islamic State now controls only a small portion of Syrian territory where it can smuggle in supplies and fighters from Turkey.

The addition of Russia’s bombing campaign was controversial, with Western accusations that its forces were focused too much on targeting rebel fighters in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad instead of on Islamic State.

But the start of Russia’s airstrikes on September 30 last year marked a significant increase in the overall aerial campaign.

Between January 1, 2015, and the start of Russia’s airstrikes, the warplanes in the U.S.-led coalition were carrying out a combined average of 20 airstrikes per day in Iraq and Syria. Since the Russian bombing began, that number has risen to 23 per day, according to a VOA analysis of Pentagon data.

Iraq cities

As the collection of forces beat back Islamic State in northern Syria, pro-government forces in Iraq made their own gains, highlighted by the army and Sunni and Shi’ite militias taking back the city of Ramadi.

Iraq plans to make a similar push in the northern city of Mosul, one of the major areas the militants have held for more than a year and a half, but that operation is not imminent.

The international community has pointed to the need for unity in the battle against Islamic State and for the Syrian government and rebels to reach a peace deal in order to allow military resources to focus on eradicating the militants instead.

That process, which saw little progress for several years as more and more people died and millions fled the country, has renewed life with this week’s launch of U.N.-led negotiations in Geneva. http://www.voanews.com/content/under-military-pressure-islamic-state-lost-territory/3241460.html

March 17, 2016

Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that ISIS has been committing genocide against Yazidis, Christians and Shiite Muslims.

The designation marked just the second time a U.S. executive branch has used the term “genocide” during an ongoing conflict.

“Daesh is genocidal by self proclamation, by ideology and by actions,” Kerry said in a televised address, using another name for the Sunni militant group. “We must recognize what Daesh is doing to its victims.”

“Naming these crimes is important but what is essential is to stop them,” he added.

Congress had put mounting pressure on the State Department to label ISIS atrocities a genocide and set a March 17 deadline for Kerry to determine his findings.

Fireworks erupted at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last month when lawmakers grilled Kerry over why the State Department had not yet branded ISIS massacres of Christians a genocide.

“The whole world knows Christians are being slaughtered in the Middle East,” Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican and frequent critic of the Obama Administration, said at the hearing. http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/kerry-designate-isis-atrocities-genocide-n540706

The loss of territory is not a surprise, nor is the labeling in an election year.

Since 2014 I have written that I do not believe that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi would be the final King of the South:

I do not believe its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi will become the biblical King of the South. (Thiel B. Islamic State kills 500 Yazidis who would not convert; 20,000 hidden escape; USA drops more bombs. August 10, 2014)

The Bible suggests that Iraq will be involved in a confederation of North African and Middle Eastern nations (Ezekiel 30:1-9; Psalm 83:4-8) who will support a leader that the Bible refers to as the final King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43).

At this moment, I do not believe that this will be the ‘Caliph’ of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Instead, I believe that many will point to groups such as the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Hamas, Boko Haram, etc. as extremists and claim that a ‘moderate’ Arabic-Turkish Islamic confederation is the best way to control ‘extremism.’ The West, including probably the UK and USA, will go along with that. (Thiel B. UK will not fight with Assad against Islamic State, many British Muslims fight for the Islamic State, US calls Islamic State ‘apocalyptic,’ and Muslims killed in Iraq. August 22, 2014)

While many are focusing on the face of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his Islamic State, they are only a part of what is happening. Though in some respects, they may act like a trigger.

Groups like the Islamic State will end up encouraging the West to embrace a variety of proposals, including one that the Bible suggests sounds like a type of Islamic caliphate (at least the peoples it discusses in it are currently predominantly Islamic at this time). A confederation of predominantly Islamic nations will happen per Daniel 11:40-43 and Ezekiel 30:2-8. (Thiel B. Kissinger tells of New World Order, Cameron concerned about ISIS terrorism, while Obama tells of ‘no strategy’ related to bombing Islamic State raises some concerns. August 29, 2014)

Also notice something I posted last month:

I still do not believe that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the final King of the South. His actions and practices are turning much of the world against him and his group. This will spur more to rise up against him and the Islamic State–despite the fact that it will still do damage in various areas. Expect some type of defeat for the Islamic State. But also look for the rise of an Arabic leader to become that King. (Thiel B. Islamic State reportedly low on funds, so what might it do? February 16, 2016)

So, why did I include “but . . .” in the headline of today’s post?

Because the Bible shows that terrorism is prophesied:

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

25 The sword shall destroy outside; There shall be terror within (Deuteronomy 32:25)

12 “Cry and wail, son of man; For it will be against My people, Against all the princes of Israel. Terrors including the sword will be against My people; Therefore strike your thigh. (Ezekiel 21:12)

12 Behold, these are the ungodly,Who are always at ease; They increase in riches…19 Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. (Psalms 73:12,19)

25 Because you disdained all my counsel, And would have none of my rebuke, 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, 27 When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you. (Proverbs 1:25-27)

5 Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way (Ecclesiastes 12:5).

The Islamic State has provided terror to many places. The Bible specifically warns about acts from Palestinians and Syrians:

8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
9 All the people will know —
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria —
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 ‘The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. (Isaiah 9:8-12)

In Genesis 48, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were the sons of Joseph, received blessings from Joseph’s father Jacob, whose name was changed by God to Israel:

13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said:

“God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them…(Genesis 48:13-16).

Because of this, sometimes when the Bible uses the term Israel it can be referring to the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, and they include the Anglo-nations. Ephraim is the progenitor of the British people, which includes the Anglo-Saxons of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Since the USA, UK, and Canada have all agreed to accept Syrian refugees, and the Islamic State has reportedly been able to get some of its supporters to be ‘migrants/refugees,’ the ‘effects’ of the Islamic State will not be over once that group is no longer as it has been.

Furthermore, the Islamic State’s formation has reminded many Muslims that Islam expects to have a caliphate.  The Bible tells of a confederation of peoples in the Middle East and North Africa that will arise and then fall:

40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. (Daniel 11:40-43)

Since those involved in supporting the final King of the South are from lands currently dominated by Islam, it remains my position that the actions of the Islamic State will contribute to the rise of the final King of the South of Bible prophecy (Daniel 11:40-43), who will cooperate in a major way with the final King of the North (Daniel 11:27; Psalm 83:3-8).

The Islamic State will NOT be the final King of the South. Yet a confederation will arise involving many Islamic lands.

Donald Trump

COGwriter

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EUI), out of the UK, put out a list of global threats and included the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency:

March 17, 2016

A Donald Trump presidency is the sixth biggest threat facing the world, tied with the prospect of terrorism destabilizing the global economy, according to an assessment by British research group EIU.

Its latest ranking of global risks has a sharp economic slowdown in China at the top.  That is followed by Russia’s actions in Syria and Ukraine bringing a new cold war, a corporate debt crisis in emerging markets and the fracture of the European Union.

EIU says it does not expect Trump to win the November election, but that there is a moderate probability he will and a high impact if he does.

Controversial stands

The group cites his hostility toward free trade, advocacy of the killing of families of terrorists, support for ground troops in Syria and alienation of both China and Mexico that could result in trade wars and fueling terrorist groups.

Trump has promised to drive hard deals in international negotiations, particularly with China.  One of his most repeated campaign pledges is to build along the southern U.S. border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants, a project he says Mexico will fund itself.  http://www.voanews.com/content/report-trump-presidency-a-top-risk-for-the-world/3241504.html

Here is the actual list from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EUI) of the UK:

The EIU ranking uses a scale of one to 25, with Mr Trump garnering a rating of 12, the same level of risk as “the rising threat of jihadi terrorism destabilising the global economy”.

Image copyright EIU 

“He has been exceptionally hostile towards free trade, including notably Nafta, and has repeatedly labelled China as a ‘currency manipulator’,” the EIU said.

It warned his strong language directed towards Mexico and China in particular “could escalate rapidly into a trade war”.

Mr Trump has called for a “big big wall” to be built on the US-Mexican border, paid for by Mexico, to keep its illegal immigrants and drug dealers out of the United States.

‘Innate hostility’

On the campaign trail, Mr Trump has advocated killing the families of terrorists and invading Syria to eradicate the so-called Islamic State group and appropriate its oil.

“His militaristic tendencies towards the Middle East and ban on all Muslim travel to the US would be a potent recruitment tool for jihadi groups, increasing their threat both within the region and beyond,” the EIU added. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35828747

The list by EUI misses many real risks, such as the increased acceptance of sexual immorality (including pornography, fornication, and adultery), the increased acceptance of the LGBT agenda, the increased government surveillance, massive debt of the USA, the ecumenical agenda, and the interfaith agenda.

But it is interesting that it mentions Donald Trump as others have concerns.

A reader sent me a link to the following:

A senior Australian government minister on Thursday called Donald Trump’s campaign for the U.S. presidency “terrifying” and warned it risked casting the Republican Party into the wilderness if he wins nomination.

Australian government ministers rarely make critical comments about elections in other countries, especially stalwart allies like the United States, which Australia relies on heavily for military backing in the Asia-Pacific. …

“And I think the Donald Trump phenomenon is a real problem for the United States, making their democracy look kind of weird,” he said. Australian minister says Trump phenomenon ‘terrifying’

It is not only those in the UK or Australia who have issues with Donald Trump.

Earlier this month, BBC reported:

Europe hates Trump. Does it matter?

March 4, 2016

Back in 2004 Europeans assumed that their own well publicised opposition to President Bush’s Iraq war would make it harder for him to get re-elected. In fact, anti Americanism had the opposite effect. It drove people to the president. “If those squishy Europeans hate him so much,” the thinking seemed to go, “then he must be doing something right.”

That same year, Britain’s left-leaning Guardian newspaper ran a public campaign targeting a critical county in Ohio with a letter-writing blitz, urging people there to vote for John Kerry.

It was a bid to give foreigners a say in the US presidential election. Clark County was a swing district in a swing state, in 2000 Al Gore won the area by a narrow margin. But the Guardian’s Operation Clark County backfired. It did indeed galvanise local voters, but it did so for Bush not Kerry. On election night, George Bush carried the county with 51% of the vote.

At the time, a local newspaper editor told the BBC that it was the well-publicised letter campaign which lost it for the Democrats. It will go down in history as one of the biggest fiascos in foreign meddling. …

Germany’s Der Spiegel has called Trump the most dangerous man in the world. Britain’s David Cameron says his plan to ban Muslims is divisive and unhelpful.

The French liberal newspaper Liberation has described him as a nightmare turned reality. JK Rowling tweeted that he’s worse than Voldemort. A recent Economist cover has a picture of Trump dressed as Uncle Sam with just one word, “Really?” That pretty much sums up the mood of global elites.

Will the international reaction make a shred of difference to Trump’s chances of getting nominated and then elected? 2004 would suggest not. Indeed you can easily imagine a scenario in which Trump’s American supporters rally round their candidate even more closely because the world is against him, just as they did with President Bush.

If you like Trump, you’re likely to shrug off French disdain – who cares what a bunch of cheese-eating surrender monkeys think? And if you don’t like Trump, you’re likely to see the criticism as a source of embarrassment – God, what does the world think of us? http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35702584

BBC’s article also showed a photograph of an anti-Donald Trump carnival float in Germany that said “MAKE FASCISM GREAT AGAIN!”

The Vice Chancellor and Minister of Economic Affairs of Germany is warning against a Donald Trump presidency:

German vice chancellor says Trump poses threat to peace and prosperity

March 6, 2016

BERLIN German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has criticized leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as a right-wing populist whose political views pose a threat to peace and prosperity.

The comments by Gabriel, economy minister and leader of the Social Democrats, are the clearest sign yet that ruling politicians in Europe are increasingly worried about the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections.

“Whether Donald Trump, Marine le Pen or Geert Wilders – all these right-wing populists are not only a threat to peace and social cohesion, but also to economic development,” Gabriel told Welt am Sonntag newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.

Gabriel said that Trump and France’s Le Pen were promising voters “a way back into a fairytale world” in which economic activity only happened within national borders but that history has shown such isolated economies have no chance to develop.

“We have to make the effort to explain how we want to shape globalisation in a fair way,” Gabriel said. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-germany-idUSMTZSAPEC36LTD4ZC

Consider that the German Vice Chancellor does not like Donald Trump’s positions on trade and that he wants “globalisation in a fair way,” in other words, he wants Germany to be able to negotiate trade agreements like Germany wants, not what someone focused on the interests of the USA wants.

March 7, 2016

“European diplomats are constantly asking about Trump’s rise with disbelief and, now, growing panic,” said a senior NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“With the EU facing an existential crisis, there’s more than the usual anxiety about the U.S. turning inward when Europe needs U.S. support more than ever.” http://www.aol.com/article/2016/03/07/foreign-diplomats-voicing-alarm-to-us-officials-about-trump/21323789/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D-1078557503

Furthermore, in December 2015, former German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg called Donald Trump “that blonde lunatic named Donald” (Guttenberg KT. Wish List or Reality? Digital Trends in 2016 | Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg | hub conference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgdZUA96UBU. Posted December 11, 2015). Not long afterwards, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, warned of an erosion in transatlantic trust, exacerbated by the U.S. presidential-election season. The campaign anthem will be “forget Europe,” he says—and it won’t come only from Donald Trump. http://time.com/4154044/geopolitics-2016/

This is the strangest presidential primary cycle I have ever seen. I agree that either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton would help lead to doom and the end of the USA.

Many Europeans see Donald Trump as a threat. A threat that is turning Europe away from the USA. NATO is a military alliance, and thus, the Europeans must be considering various military options.

The Bible tells of a vast economic power that will rise up in Europe and cause many to prosper (Revelation 18).  Many in Europe in general, and Germany in particular, are working towards that goal, despite biblical warnings of being part of it (e.g. Revelation 18:4).

Clearly, many in Europe have issues with Donald Trump.

Donald Trump is impacting European views of the USA–this will not bode well for the USA.

The Bible tells of a warring, King of the North, power that will arise in Europe and surprise the world:

3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:3-4)

This leader, though vile as far as the Bible is concerned, will sound peaceful and sensible:

21 And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. 22 With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. 24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time. (Daniel 11:21-24)

He will be the “strrongman” Europe will turn to.

If Donald Trump does become President of the United States, look for him to offend the Europeans and encourage them to arm. This will not end well for the USA per Daniel 11:39.

Donald Trump has already offended many Europeans.  Should he become President of the United States, the Europeans will be offended by this and will take more steps to separate themselves from the USA. This does not mean that NATO must be abandoned, but I have felt for decades that the Europeans would attack the USA under the guise of a NATO exercise, and probably will have ground assistance from Mexico, a nation that Donald Trump has repeatedly offended during his campaign.

Even if Donald Trump does not become US President, the fact that Donald Trump has done as well with voters as he has is an offense to the Europeans and is getting them to question their connections to the USA.

Peshmerga Troops on a T-55 Tank (Boris Niehaus)

COGwriter

Opponents to Syria’s Assad were denied recognition by the USA:

March 16, 2016

CAIRO/PENTAGON—Representatives of Syria’s largest Kurdish party say they plan to declare an autonomous federal region for the areas they control in the northern part of the country.

Kurdish leaders in Syria said other ethnic and sectarian groups, including Arabs and Turkmen, will be represented in the regional grouping.

However, the United States said Wednesday it will not recognize “self rule” of a semi-autonomous zone in Syria.

“We remain committed to the unity and territorial integrity of Syria,” Deputy State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

Toner said the U.S. remains “focused on advancing a genuine, negotiated political transition towards an inclusive government” in all of Syria. …

As Syrian Kurdish militiamen continue to battle other opposition factions in the north of Syria, their political leaders said they are preparing to declare an autonomous federal region.

‘Declaration’ soon

Idriss Nassan, a top Kurdish foreign affairs representative in the Kurdish-controlled town of Kobani, told Al Jazeera TV that “preparation for the declaration of federalism in north Syria will be soon,” and that Kurdish representatives are now “meeting to discuss the declaration.”

Speaking Wednesday from Baghdad, Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for the coalition’s operation against the Islamic State group, said the announcement was a “political matter” that would not affect operations against IS terrorists.

Syria’s ambassador to the U.N., Bashar al-Jaafari, however, told reporters in Geneva that attempts to sow division among the Syrian people would not work.

“The Syrian Kurds are an important component of the Syrian people,” he said. “We are proud of them; they are proud of us. We have established our state together for centuries. So, betting on creating any kind of divisions among the Syrians will be a total failure.” http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-kurds-set-to-declare-autonomous-federal-region-in-syria/3240089.html

The USA has long treated the Kurds differently than most would feel it would. The Peshmerga are the military forces of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Apparently the main reason that the USA has not supplied more arms or support to the Kurds in Iraq and Syria fighting the Islamic State is because both the governments of Turkey and Iraq do not want to see the Kurds form their own nation there either.

And while the Kurds have tended to be a more loyal ally to the USA than the USA has been to the Kurds, the USA has often tended to defer to the governments of Turkey and Iraq–despite the fact that the government of the USA considers that the Islamic State is terrorist threat and that the Kurds are not, as far as the USA is concerned.

While I am not taking a position on whether the USA should supply the Kurds or anyone else with military arms, I will state that the Bible warns that destruction is coming to “an hypocritical nation” which it will end up being destroyed (Isaiah 10:5-11, KJV). While there are serious problems and conflicts in ISIS, those who think that the USA will not reap what it is sowing by often betraying allies (cf. Galatians 6:7-8; Lamentations 1:1-2), are in error (Daniel 11:39).

Despite how the USA seemingly defers to Turkey and Iraq on the Kurds (and maybe now Syria’s Assad and the Russians), eventually they and others in the Middle East and North Africa will plot to eliminate the USA based upon the 83rd Psalm.

Notice the following rendering of that Psalm with the modern national identities shown in [ ] which mainly come from an article titled The Arab World in Prophecy from the Plain Truth magazine dated December 1979:

4 They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

5 For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:

6 The tents of Edom [Esau or modern-day Turkey, a non-Arab but Islamic nation] and the Ishmaelites [Saudi Arabia]; Moab [part of Jordan] and the Hagrites [anciently these peoples dwelt in the area known as Syria today];
7 Gebal [Lebanon], Ammon [modern Jordan], and Amalek [part of the Turks]; Philistia [the modern Palestinians] with the inhabitants of Tyre [Lebanon]; 8 Assyria [whose descendants, the Assyrians, migrated to Germany] also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot [Jordan and Western Iraq]. (Psalms 83:4-8, NKJV)

The above shows a coalition of North African and Middle Eastern peoples, like those that will initially support the coming King of the South in Daniel 11:40-43. They will want to eliminate the USA, its Anglo-Saxon descended allies, and the tiny nation of Israel. They will then make a deal with end time Assyria, the main power in Europe. And this will be successful (Daniel 11:39), but not completely (Jeremiah 30:7).

Regarding Iraq, it probably should also be mentioned that some others consider that the Iraqis are better identified as Ishmaelites or being Hagarenes. Some consider that the Hagarenes are better identified with Iraq–yet since Ishmael’s mother was Hagar–Genesis 16:15–they would all tend to be related. Whether they are identified better as Hagarenes or Ishmaelites or descendants of Lot, Iraqis and other Arabic peoples are prophesied (along with others) to be part of a confederation that will decide to eliminate Israel (and not just the area in the Middle East). Turkey is represented in Psalm 83 as Edom–other prophecies show that it will ultimately break its alliance with the Arabic peoples and primarily support the European power (Daniel 11:40-43; cf. Daniel 11:26-27).

Notice a little bit more about a coming confederation involving the Arabs in Ezekiel:

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“‘Wail and say, “Alas for that day!” 3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near- a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. 4 A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth will be carried away and her foundations torn down.

5 Cush and Put, Lydia and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt. (Ezekiel 30:1-5, NIV).

5 “Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all the mingled people, Chub, and the men of the lands who are allied, shall fall with them by the sword.” (Ezekiel 30:5, NKJV)

So a confederation will form, Iraq and Syria will be part of it, and many of the nations that enter into a confederation with Egypt will suffer. This includes Iraqi and Syrian peoples, and possibly the Kurds (the Turks escape this per Daniel 11:42; but have other problems later; cf. Obadiah 8-11).

Why might the Kurds be referred to in Ezekiel 30? The word translated in the NIV as Libya, Puwt, may be referring to some of the peoples of Iran as Puwt was a Persian tribe and the Kurds are an Iranian people with mixed heritage. There are estimated to be at least 30 million Kurds, most of which are in the Middle East (with the largest populations in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria). The Kurds could be part of the ‘mingled people’ as the NKJV translates a portion of Ezekiel 30:5.

Although the Kurds themselves have long wanted independence, they have a history of making many alliances. Like the Turks, the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims. Despite the fact that the governments in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and Iran have caused problems for the Kurds, the Kurds may well support a future Arabic-Turkish alliance (Daniel 11:40-43), especially if they get some protection of autonomy to do so. It is also possible that they could be among those that escape the wrath of the King of the North (Daniel 11:42). But that power also will end (cf. Revelation 11:15; 18).

The time will come when God will call all people in the world, including the Turks and the Kurds. That will be a time of peace (Isaiah 2:3-4; Revelation 21), but until then war and destruction appear to be part of the expected fate of that region of the world for some time (though a temporal peace will come per Daniel 9:27; see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27).

Some items of possibly-related interest may include:

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.
What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy Do you know the Turkish people descended from? Did the Ottoman Empire possibly fulfill a promise in Genesis? Will Turkey support the European King of the North or Arabic King of the South? Will it betray one of them? Will Turkey be involved in the encouraging the destruction of Israel? Is Turkey going to become Catholic? Is Turkey mentioned in Psalm 83, Daniel 11, and elsewhere in the Bible? This video provides answers.
Iraq, the King of the South, Armageddon, and Prophecy What will happen to Iraq? Is it the prophesied Mystery Babylon? What is Armageddon and how does that have to do with Iraq? Here is a related video Iraq, Armageddon, & 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 Bible and the Arab World In 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?
Is There an Islamic Antichrist? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
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? 2023 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2016, 2017, or 2018? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives. A shorter video is: Can the Great Tribulation Start in 2016?
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
How Will Middle East Peace be Brought About? Can humans bring peace to the Middle East? Here is a link to a related video: Middle East Peace? When?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing.
Universal Offer of Salvation: There Are Hundreds of Verses in the Bible Supporting the Doctrine of True Apocatastasis Do you believe what the Bible actually teaches on this? Will all good things be restored? Will God call everyone? Will everyone have an opportunity for salvation? Does God’s plan of salvation take rebellion and spiritual blindness into account? Related sermon videos include Universal Offer of Salvation I: God is love and Universal Offer of Salvation II: The Age to Come and the ‘Little Flock’ and Universal Offer of Salvation III: All Are to Know Jesus, But When? and Universal Offer of Salvation IV: Will the Guilty be Pardoned? and Universal Offer of Salvation V: All Israel Will be Saved?
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.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton

COGwriter

Now that ‘Super Tuesday II’ (others called it ‘Super Tuesday 3’) is over, we have seen the two front-runners, in terms of delegates, remaining as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Voice of America reported the following:

March 16, 2016

MIAMI—

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton moved closer toward securing their parties’ presidential nominations Tuesday, easily winning a series of crucial votes that further clarified the direction of what has been an unlikely primary election campaign.

By winning the delegate-rich states of Florida, Ohio, Illinois and North Carolina, ex-Secretary of State Clinton was able to reverse the momentum of her opponent, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who had come away with a surprise win in Michigan last week.

More importantly, it gives Clinton a commanding, and some say now almost insurmountable, lead in the count of delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination. …

Trump, the billionaire businessman, won big in Florida, North Carolina and Illinois, further cementing his status as the Republican front-runner.

Ohio roadblock

However, Trump hit a roadblock in Ohio, where the state’s governor, John Kasich, secured a big win.

If Trump had won both Florida and Ohio, his path to the nomination would have likely been unstoppable, according to many analysts, because those states award all their delegates to the winner, rather than assign them proportionally.

Trump’s loss in the Buckeye State now makes it possible that Trump will not win the nomination outright, forcing a dramatic showdown at the Republican convention in July, said Paul Beck, professor emeritus at Ohio State University.

So, Voice of America believe that Hillary Clinton’s lead to become the Democratic party nominee is almost insurmountable, but that Donald Trump, though the leading Republican, is likely to have a fight to get his party’s nomination. Republican candidate Marco Rubio suspended his campaign last night after it was clear he would not win his home state of Florida.

I watched several candidates speak last night. As far as the front-runners go, Hillary Clinton promoted class-warfare and said she would fight for LGBT rights.  Donald Trump promoted nationalism and said he would fight for himself and others.

Are either what the USA needs?

Notice something a couple of days ago from Thomas Sowell.

March 14, 2016

Either could spell our doom

A third consecutive term of such policies, with Hillary Clinton in the White House, can be suicidal.

Internally, Hillary Clinton’s whole political career has been based on polarizing the American population by race, sex, class and any other way that will serve her political interests. This kind of cynical political exploitation can take the “United” out of the United States, and Balkanize us into an internal war of each against all. That is a war in which we can all lose.

As for the Republicans’ front-runner, what is there left to say about Donald Trump? Almost daily he demonstrates that he lacks the maturity, the depth and the character required to lead a nation facing a complex range of dangers.

It is not a question of his having flaws, which we all have. But what kind of warped character does someone have at his core who can mock a prisoner of war who was tortured for years by our enemies, mock someone else with a physical defect, reply to questions with gutter-level insults and offer childish boasts about what he is going to do, instead of specifics about how?

These are not subtle nuances. They are blatant revelations about something fundamentally wrong. Too many people missed similar revelations about Barack Obama. For that we have already paid a price, and we will continue to pay a price, even after he is gone. … putting Hillary Clinton in the White House – and the country on the ruinous road to a point of no return. http://www.wnd.com/2016/03/2-front-runners-either-could-spell-our-doom/#pjVCyOuFEwMI93hY.99

This is the strangest presidential primary cycle I have ever seen. I agree that either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton would help lead to doom and the end of the USA.

Many people recognize that something is terribly wrong with the direction of the USA. Yet, the answer is not Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton. The answer is national repentance, which is something neither of those candidates has spoken about.

Consider the following:

14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

National repentance and prayer is what the USA needs or it is biblically-doomed (cf. Habakkuk 2:6-8; Daniel 11:39). The same holds true for its Anglo-Saxon descended allies such as the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Irrespective of who becomes the next president, by virtue of timing, that leader will be in a sense, apocalyptic. Meaning that steps will be taken that will lead to the end of the USA by the next president.

Donald Trump’s siren song is basically that foreigners, migrants, and Wall Street have taken advantage of the USA, and Americans would be better off if he renegotiates treaties and changes laws. This would bring Americans prosperity, etc. according to Donald Trump.

On the Democratic side, their siren song is that corporations, rich straight white men, and Wall Street have taken advantage of many in the USA and Americans would be better off if laws are changed to increase taxes on the rich and force corporations to give more to women, minorities, and migrants, while also changing society’s laws related to gender matters. This would basically bring prosperity and equity to those who have been unfairly treated according to both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.

Both sides employ greed and envy as motivators. Jesus warned against covetousness (Luke 12:15).

Neither Donald Trump’s nor the Democrat’s siren songs are the solution.

Of course, despite the election results so far on the Republican side, we could still see a battle in November between Hillary Clinton and one of the establishment Republicans. A ‘contested convention’ has been suggested to try to stop Donald Trump.

So much for democracy in the USA.

The presidential candidates also do not seem to realize the national identity of the USA according to the Bible (see Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel), that God has a 6,000 year plan, and that national repentance is needed or the USA is doomed (Habakkuk 2:6-8; Daniel 11:39).

Time is running out for the USA. We are getting closer to the end of the 6,000 years that God is allowing humans to rule themselves, prior to the return of Jesus Christ and the beginning of the millennial reign (see Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? and Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?). This is something that none of the presidential candidates has discussed publicly as far as I can tell.

And the end of the USA will come (cf. Daniel 11:39) whether they believe it or not.

Although many sincerely believe that it is their “Christian duty” to vote (even though that “duty” is not specified in the Bible, see Should a Christian Vote? and/or watch Should Christians Vote?), some seem to have overlooked some prophecies related to political leaders in the end times:

12 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)

43 The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower (Deuteronomy 28:43).

16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err, And those who are led by them are destroyed (Isaiah 9:16).

It should be clear that Isaiah prophesied that there would be end time leaders that cause people to err. This is what many politicians, directly and indirectly do.

Notice a secular view related to the 2012 USA presidential election as it has some ideas to ponder related to the 2016 campaign as well:

When confronted with the false dilemma of the democratic political process, many individuals settle for the “less of two evils” as a kind of compromise. But one suspects (or hopes) they do so with a certain degree of moral discomfort. Ask a disciple of the Elephant Party, for example, if he agrees with the murderous drone attacks this moment underway in Pakistan and you will likely offend a delicate delusion of “Democrats for Peace.” Similarly, press any Donkey Party advocate on the issue of economic freedom and watch them squirm under close scrutiny of their own candidate’s position vis-à-vis the IRS, the Federal Reserve, the indigestible, 75,000- page tax code, etc., etc., etc….

Contrary to the popular snipe that “only those who vote have the right to complain,” common sense leads us to quite the opposite conclusion. It is only those who have not aggressed against others who have the right to complain when they are aggressed against. Those who, to invert a phrase, “feed the mouth that bites them,” may stand firmly, but do so on shaky ground.

A vote for either evil is nonetheless a vote for evil. (Daily Reckoning, October 19, 2012)

It is interesting to see a secular coming to similar conclusions regarding the ‘democratic system’ and the US presidential election. I documented some other evils that both major USA presidential candidates espoused in the 2012 campaign (see Romney and Obama on ‘Social Issues’).  As well as some in the 2016 campaign (see, for example, Hillary Clinton in Prophecy and Donald Trump in Prophecy).

Of course, many professing Christians believe that they need to vote even though that concept is not endorsed in the Bible.  But notice two concepts that are:

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).

2 You shall not follow a crowd to do evil (Exodus 23:2)

The “lesser of two evils” is still not good.

While it is true, that like the King of Ninevah (Jonah 3:5-6), political leaders could call for national repentance after enough people begin a fast, the reality is that this simply is not something that many of them ever seriously consider, let alone do. It seems that this will not happen (unless perhaps after the prophesied destruction).

God will decide who He wants in various offices:

17 ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’ (Daniel 4:17)

We are seeing many running for office that do not have godly character. And God will take steps to put in office whosoever He feels should lead the USA.

If Christians are not supposed to vote, what should we do about leaders?

Pray for them!

Notice what Paul wrote:

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior (1 Tim 2:1-3).

Notice that we are to pray for worldly leaders and those that have authority over us so that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life. Nothing like this is said for voting that many falsely claim is their “Christian” duty–prayer for leaders is.

Those who believe that Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton can save the USA are misleading themselves and overlooking a lot of what the Bible teaches. Their moral views are not consistent with what the Bible teaches.

The USA needs national repentance and the Kingdom of God.

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God continues to get additional materials translated into the Spanish language.

Here are links to the items we received today:

Cross found on Mars?
¿Hallada cruz en Marte?
http://www.cdlidd.es/hallada-cruz-en-marte/Sexual assaults up in Germany, while migrants ask why Europeans don’t want them
Asaltos sexuales en Alemania, mientras los emigrantes preguntan por qué los europeos no los quieren a ellos
http://www.cdlidd.es/asaltos-sexuales-en-alemania-mientras-los-emigrantes-preguntan-por-que-los-europeos-no-los-quieren-a-ellos/
BibleNewsProphecy: Could Donald Trump be Apocalyptic?
Noticias de Profecía de la Biblia: ¿Podría Donald Trump ser Apocalíptico?
http://www.cdlidd.es/noticias-de-profecia-de-la-biblia-podria-donald-trump-ser-apocaliptico/
Theologians’ statements on Easter
Declaraciones de los teólogos sobre la Pascua [Easter]
http://www.cdlidd.es/declaraciones-de-los-teologos-sobre-la-pascua-easter/

Is Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg resisting the call to enter German politics?
¿Está Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg resistiendo el llamado para entrar en la política alemana?
http://www.cdlidd.es/esta-karl-theodor-zu-guttenberg-resistiendo-el-llamado-para-entrar-en-la-politica-alemana/

Do you have an immortal soul? What really happens after death?
¿Tiene usted un alma inmortal? ¿Qué ocurre realmente después de la muerte?
http://www.cdlidd.es/tiene-usted-un-alma-inmortal-que-ocurre-realmente-despues-de-la-muerte/

Should Christians observe St. Patrick’s Day?
¿Deberían los cristianos observar el día de San Patricio?
http://www.cdlidd.es/deberian-los-cristianos-observar-el-dia-de-san-patricio/

Evolution and the supposed ‘Science Guy’
La evolución y el supuesto ‘tipo de la ciencia’
http://www.cdlidd.es/la-evolucion-y-el-supuesto-tipo-de-la-ciencia/

European dismisses US campaign rhetoric on trade, and wants the world to follow its standards
Los europeos descartan campaña retórica de los EE.UU. sobre comercio, y desean que el mundo siga sus estándares
http://www.cdlidd.es/los-europeos-descartan-campana-retorica-de-los-ee-uu-sobre-comercio-y-desean-que-el-mundo-siga-sus-estandares/

‘Christianity Today’ says ‘United Kingdom (Kind of) Keeps the Fourth Commandment’
‘Christianity Today’ dice que ‘El Reino Unido (en cierto modo) guarda el cuarto mandamiento’
http://www.cdlidd.es/christianity-today-dice-que-el-reino-unido-en-cierto-modo-guarda-el-cuarto-mandamiento/

The Continuing Church of God has a separate Spanish language website http://www.cdlidd.es. The term Continuing Church of God translates into La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios in the Spanish language, also called Castellano or Español.

The Continuing Church of God is reaching people around the world in multiple languages via the internet, printed literature, and human church leaders around the world. We also reach people over the radio and through videos in the English language.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil, and the Caribbean in Prophecy [Español: México, América central, Suramérica, Brasil y el Caribe en la profecía] [Português: México, América Central, Ámérica do Sul, e Brasil na profecia] What will happen to those of Latin America? Will they have prosperity? Will they cooperate with Europe? Will they suffer in the future? What role might the various Caribbean nations/territories play?

Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.

Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?

Statement of Beliefs of the Continuing Church of God “Contend earnestly for the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3, NKJV), “Let brotherly love (Philadelphia) continue” (Hebrews 13:1) “…continuing stedfastly in the teaching of the apostles” (Acts 2:42 YLT). So, what does that really mean in terms of specific beliefs? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: Declaración de las Doctrinas de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. Here is a related link in Tagalog: Paglalahad ng Mga Paniniwala ng Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. Here is a related link in Mandarin Chinese 继续神的教会的信仰声明. Here is a related link in Kiswahili: KATIKA LUGHA YA KISWAHILI. Here is a related link in Dutch: Verklaring van geloofspunten van de Continuing Church of God. Here is a related link in Deutsche (German): Glaubenserklärung der Continuing Church of God. Here is a related link in Italiano: Dichiarazione del Credo della Continuing Church of God. Here is related link in the French language: Déclaration des croyances de L’Église Continue de Dieu.

Faith for those God has Called and Chosen What is faith? Can faith be increased? Are you saved by faith? What about works? Do Christians need to keep the Ten Commandments? What is the ‘faith chapter’? How do the just live by faith? Is faith one of the weightier matters of the law? How does faith come? Here is a link to a pdf. booklet titled Faith for Those God has Called and Chosen. Marque aquí para ver el pdf folleto: Fe para aquellos que Dios ha llamado y escogido.Here is a link to a related sermon titled: Faith for the Called and Chosen. Here is a link to shorter version of the written article in Mandarin Chinese 一篇关于信仰的小文章

CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. To see how CCOG has done so far, here are links to two sermons Continuing Church of God (CCOG) first year anniversary: What has been accomplished? and The Continuing Church of God: Two Years of Proclamation. Here is a written link to a version of that sermon in the Spanish language: Aniversario del primer año de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios: ¿Qué se ha cumplido?

CCOG.ASIA We in the Continuing Church of God also have the url www.ccog.asia which has a focus on Asia and has various articles in Mandarin Chinese as well as some in English, plus some items in other Asian languages. 我们在继续神的教会也提供此网址

CCOGCANADA.CA This is a website targeted towards those in Canada.

CCOG.IN This is a website targeted towards those of Indian heritage. It has a link to an edited Hindi translation of The Mystery of the Ages and is expected to have more non-English language materials in the future.

CCOG.EU This is a website targeted toward Europe. It has materials in more than one language (currently it has English, Dutch, and Serbian, with links also to Spanish) and it is intended to have additional language materials added.

CCOG.NZ This is a website targeted towards New Zealand and others with a British-descended background.

PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.

CDLIDD.ES La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God.

Site of Calvary?

COGwriter

Many people, especially in the English-speaking nations do not realize that the holiday that they call Easter really is supposed to be Passover.

In many other languages, some version of the Greek word páscha is often used, so in those cultures they tend to be more aware of the original biblical connection.

Early Christians clearly celebrated Passover and not Easter.

Notice what a respected Protestant scholar reported about the second century:

The most important in this festival was the passover day, the 14th of Nisan…In it they ate unleavened bread, probably like the Jews, eight days through…there is no trace of a yearly festival of the resurrection among them…the Christians of Asia Minor appealed in favor of their passover solemnity on the 14th Nisan to John (Gieseler, Johann Karl Ludwig. A Text-book of Church History. Translated by Samuel Davidson, John Winstanley Hull, Mary A. Robinson. Harper & brothers, 1857, Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Feb 17, 2006, p. 166).

So, like the Apostle John (the last of the original apostles to die), the early faithful Christians observed Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread.

When is Passover? Is it early in the morning?

No.

As far as early Christians go, Jesus and His disciples kept Passover in the evening (cf. John 13).

In the second century, it was reported that Passover was an annual event and that it was held at night (Epistula Apostolorum, Chapter 15 as shown in Elliot JK. The apocryphal New Testament: a collection of apocryphal Christian literature in an English translation, reprint edition. Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 565).

The Eastern Orthodox realize that this is so, as one of their priests has written:

Pascha is the feast of universal redemption. Our earliest sources for the an­nual celebration of the Christian Pascha come to us from the second century…The feast, however, must have originated in the apostolic period…According to the earliest documents, Pascha is described as a nocturnal celebration…(Calivas, Alkiviadis C. The Origins of Pascha and Great Week – Part I. Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1992. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith8504 viewed 11/04/2011)

Most people do not seem to realize that ALL early Christians kept Passover. And that because of various compromises “Easter” later came to be observed by most who claim Christ.

Later, that compromise was formally agreed to by a council called by an non-baptized Emperor in 325. Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

1170 At the Council of Nicaea in 325, all the Churches agreed that Easter, the Christian Passover, should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon (14 Nisan) after the vernal equinox. Because of different methods of calculating the 14th day of the month of Nisan, the date of Easter in the Western and Eastern Churches is not always the same. For this reason, the Churches are currently seeking an agreement in order once again to celebrate the day of the Lord’s Resurrection on a common date. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, p. 332)

It should be noted that ALL the churches did not agree and those in the true Church of God did not attend the Council of Nicea.

That it is understood, even by some Catholic scholars, that “Judeo-Christian” churches were not represented on at that Council. Notice what Priest Bellarmino Bagatti wrote.

…the inhabitants of Syria, of Cilcia and of Mesopotamia were still celebrating Easter {Passover} with the Jews…

The importance of the matters to be discussed and the great division that existed had led Constantine to bring together a big number of bishops, including confessors of the faith, in order to give the impression that the whole of Christendom was represented.

In fact…the churches of Jewish stock had had no representation…From this we can conclude that no Judaeo-Christian bishop participated in the Council. Either they were not invited or they declined to attend. And so the capitulars had a free hand to establish norms for certain practices without meeting opposition or hearing other view points. ( Bagatti, Bellarmino. Translated by Eugene Hoade. The Church from the Gentiles in Palestine. Nihil obstat: Ignatius Mancini, 1 Februari 1970. Imprimi potest: Herminius Roncari, 26 Februari 1970. Imprimatur: +Albertus Gori, die 28 Februarii 1970. Franciscan Printing Press, Jerusalem, 1971, pp. 47-48)

Over time, not only the date, the practices associated with Passover changed for the Greco-Roman churches as did the name in languages like English.

The Catholic Encyclopedia notes:

The English term, according to the Ven. Bede (De temporum ratione, I, v), relates to Estre, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring…Easter is the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year. Leo I (Sermo xlvii in Exodum) calls it the greatest feast (festum festorum), and says that Christmas is celebrated only in preparation for Easter…The connection between the Jewish and the Christian Pasch explains the movable character of this feast. Easter has no fixed date, like Christmas, because the 15th of Nisan of the Semitic calendar was shifting from date to date on the Julian calendar. Since Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, had been slain on the very day when the Jews, in celebration of their Passover, immolated the figurative lamb, the Jewish Christians in the Orient followed the Jewish method…For this observance they claimed the authority of St. John and St. Philip.

In the rest of the empire another consideration predominated. Every Sunday of the year was a commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ, which had occurred on a Sunday. Because the Sunday after 14 Nisan was the historical day of the Resurrection, at Rome this Sunday became the Christian feast of Easter…

Passover this year is after sunset April 21st. Easter is observed by the Church of Rome on March 27, 2016 this year (it is always supposed to be AFTER the 14th as a decision was made centuries ago to NOT have it on the biblical date).

During Passover services in the Continuing Church of God, most of Jesus’ words in John 13-18 tend to be read and/or commented upon as part of the service. Most people do not seem to realize that this is what Jesus taught on the night He was betrayed. Also, most do not realize that much of the Gospel According to John had to do with two holy day seasons: the final Passover season (Chapters 13-21) and one particular Feast of Tabernacles ‘ season (Chapters 7-9). And although Martin Luther preferred John’s Gospel, he ignored those days himself.

But early Christians did not ignore them. Pretty much all scholars realize that all early Christians kept Passover (see also a detailed YouTube video available titled History of the Christian Passover.).

What about you?

Those who wish to learn more should also study the following:

Passover and the Early Church Did the early Christians observe Passover? What did Jesus and Paul teach? Why did Jesus die for our sins? There is also a detailed YouTube video available titled History of the Christian Passover.
Melito’s Homily on the Passover This is one of the earliest Christian writings about the Passover. This also includes what Apollinaris wrote on the Passover as well.
What Happened in the Crucifixion Week? How long are three days and three nights? Did Jesus die on “Good Friday”? Was the resurrection on Sunday? Do you really know? Who determined the date of Easter?
Did Early Christians Celebrate Easter? If not, when did this happen? Where did Easter come from? What do scholars and the Bible reveal? Here is a link to a video titled Why Easter?
How often should we partake of THE LORD’S SUPPER? Herbert Armstrong answers that question.
Keeping Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread How should Christians keep Passover, especially if they are by themselves. Why does the Church of God not require lambs for Passover? How does one keep the Days of Unleavened Bread? For a step-by-step video for Christians to keep it, check out CCOG Passover Service.
Preparing for Passover The Apostle Paul taught that Christians should examine themselves prior to taking Passover. This YouTube video sermon gives suggestions on how to prepare.
Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history teach about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays.
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?
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.