Archive for October, 2017

North Korea poses nuclear, biological, electromagnetic, and chemical threats: ‘Mattis says threat of nuclear attack by N.Korea accelerating’

Saturday, October 28th, 2017


Skin Reaction to Anthrax

COGwriter

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is stating that the USA will not accept a nuclear North Korea:

Mattis says threat of nuclear attack by N.Korea accelerating

October 28, 2017

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Saturday the threat of nuclear missile attack by North Korea is accelerating.

In remarks in Seoul with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at his side, Mattis accused the North of illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear programs — and vowed to defeat any attack.

Mattis said North Korea engages in “outlaw” behavior and that the U.S. will never accept a nuclear North.

He added that regardless of what the North might try, it is overmatched by the firepower and cohesiveness of the decades-old U.S.-South Korean alliance.

“North Korea has accelerated the threat that it poses to its neighbors and the world through its illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear weapons programs,” he said, adding that U.S.-South Korean military and diplomatic collaboration thus has taken on “a new urgency.”

“I cannot imagine a condition under which the United States would accept North Korea as a nuclear power,” he said.

As he emphasized throughout his weeklong Asia trip, which included stops in Thailand and the Philippines, Mattis said diplomacy remains the preferred way to deal with the North.

“With that said,” he added, “make no mistake — any attack on the United States or our allies will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons by the North will be met with a massive military response that is effective and overwhelming.” https://www.apnews.com/cdb523a4aece40fb8042685b6bfafb47/Mattis-says-threat-of-nuclear-attack-by-N.Korea-accelerating

Of course, North Korea does have nuclear capability, it has said it will not give that up, so it appears that the U.S. Defense Secretary is suggesting that war is the likely end of all of this (watch also Donald Trump, Warmongering, and the Red Horse of War).

North Korea has threatened to use nuclear weapons to destroy much of the electrical grid of the USA (see VOA: North Korea threatens hydrogen bomb test over Pacific ocean that could cause electromagnetic damage). If successful, this could significantly damage to USA (watch Electrical End of the USA?).

While the USA can overpower North Korea, it should be understood that North Korea has more to threaten with than nuclear weapons.

Notice the following:

In addition to its nuclear capabilities, North Korea has the ability to douse thousands of people with lethal doses of anthrax, smallpox and viral hemorrhagic fever according to a newly released report from the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.

Kim Jong-un’s regime is thought to have the third-largest chemical weapons supply in the world, and its arsenal includes at least 13 types of biological weapons. …

“North Korea has a very advanced biological weapons program, and it is extremely dangerous because it can be delivered covertly,” Andrew Weber, a former U.S. assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs, said in an interview with Mic. “Honestly, I wish these threats were taken as seriously as the nuclear weapons threat — because they should be.”

Biological warfare might make sense for North Korea

Biological warfare is the act of intentionally releasing infectious diseases onto a population. Bioweapons are inherently different than chemical weapons, as they encompass contagious agents like smallpox or toxins that cause disease. Anthrax, for example, is a bioweapon.

Bioweapons can be unleashed in a number of ways: via contaminating food, by attaching spray tanks to drones or by using aerosol technology found in everyday pesticide foggers, to name just a few methods.

“A single person with a backpack sprayer could deliver tens of thousands of lethal doses of biological weapons,” Weber said. “And if [that agent] spreads from person to person like smallpox, they would only have to infect a few people for it to become a global catastrophe.”

Weber is concerned that biological warfare is the most strategically sensible option for North Korea to attack another nation — even before a hypothetical full-blown war — because although the technology exists to differentiate a natural outbreak from a bioterror attack, there isn’t always a scientific means of proving who initiates it.

“It’s hard to attribute blame,” Weber said. “Frankly, that deniability and uncertainty is what would make this type of attack more attractive to the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] regime. I think it would be used in what I would call a mobilization period … in a period of tension not unlike today, where the concern is that the United States is building up its military presence and preparation for war.” https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/10/26/new-report-sheds-light-on-north-koreas-deadly-biological-weapons/23257005/

The use of biological weapons may very well be what North Korea is planning.

Prophecy tells of troubles and diseases.

The disciples asked Jesus the sequence of the end times leading up to the Great Tribulation and His return:

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)

Notice what Jesus taught in response:

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:4-8)

The Great Tribulation itself does not begin until later (see also When Will the Great Tribulation Begin?):

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains…21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:15-16, 21)

The sorrows that Jesus spoke of include ‘troubles’:

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

Diseases, radiation, and chemicals can truly cause troubles.

Perhaps it should be pointed out that the fourth sorrow, like the fourth horseman, involves pestilence.

Notice the following written by George Ritter and published by the old Worldwide Church of God:

Epidemics Of The Future

The world has yet to see the last of widespread disease epidemics. That, in effect, was what Jesus Christ told His disciples in the pivotal Olivet prophecy recorded in Matthew 24 and Luke 21…

Granted, pestilence, famine and war have been ongoing problems that have plagued mankind ever since the dawn of history. But the main thrust of Christ’s message is futuristic. The overall context of the Olivet prophecy readily attests to this fact. In verses 21 and 22 of Matthew 24, Christ referred to a time when the total annihilation of human life would be a distinct possibility. Only with the recent development of multiple-megaton nuclear weaponry could such an event have become a reality.

The book of Revelation also underscores the fact that such tumultuous times are yet in store for the future. John’s apocalyptic scenario centers around the events surrounding the Day of the Lord (Rev.1:10). In the sixth chapter we see war, famine and pestilence (the last three of the four horsemen of John’s vision) riding together at this critical juncture in world history…

“A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part in to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them” (Ezek. 5:12).Parallel prophecies found in the Old Testament clearly indicate why man will continue to suffer from the ravages of disease. Notice this cause-and­effect relationship as outlined in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy: “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God,” warns man’s Creator, “the Lord will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from off the land, which you go to possess. The Lord will smite you with consumption [wasting, degenerative disease], with fever and inflammation [possibly infectious contagions)…. and the tumors, the scurvy [deficiency disease] and the itch, of which you cannot be healed. The Lord will smite you with madness [mental disorders] and blind-ness and dismay of heart [emotional trauma]” (verses 15, 21-22, 27-28, The Amplified Bible).

Misgovernment, greed and oppression over the course of nearly 6000 years of history have saddled the human race with the unwanted burden of disease… Ezekiel 7:15: “The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.”

In modern times, the spread of diseases is so much easier than in more ancient times. Places like North Korea realize this. (As far as the 6000 years go, check out the article Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? and/or watch the video 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come?).

While the USA could defeat North Korea militarily, this does not mean that North Korea could not damage the USA, South Korea, or other lands.

North Korea poses a variety of threats to the world. Biological weapons such as anthrax is simply another one of them.

The USA will be weakened prior to the start of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21)–North Korea will be a factor in that weakening. Even if there is no war or biological weaponry, the USA is spending resources related to North Korea and has tended to upset Russia, China, and Europe with its rhetoric on North Korea. The situation with North Korea is one to watch (cf. Mark 13:37).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Donald Trump, Warmongering, and the Red Horse of War Various Europeans believe that Donald Trump has been ‘warmongering’ related to North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. They believe that Europe must lead and the US President learn from Europe. Jesus spoke of a time called the “beginning of sorrows” that included wars and rumors of war, are we in the time of sorrows now? Could the red horse of the apocalypse be about to ride? Did the old WCG teach this was a future event in 1985? Does this ride start before or after the start of the “great tribulation”? What does the Bible show? Is Satan involved in this? What about Armageddon? How will all of this end? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more. This is a video.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
Syria, North Korea, and Prophecy On April 7, 2017, 59 US Tomahawk missiles hit a military installation in Syria. While praised by NATO nations, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, this was denounced by Syria, Russia, and North Korea. Is this the start of World War III? Will the Bashar al-Assad regime remain as it is? What about North Korea? What does the Bible show will happen? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and more. This is a video.
Korea in Prophecy, Any Witness? Where did the Korean people come from? Does God have a plan for the Koreans? Is Korea mentioned in any prophecies? Will Koreans be among the first in the Kingdom of God? Here is a machine-translated link to that article in Korean: 한국의 언어로 : 한국 예언, 모든 증인에?. Here is a link to a magazine with that article in Mandarin Chinese: 在预言中的韩国:有任何证人吗?. A prophetic video is also available: Syria, North Korea, and Prophecy.
What is the Gospel? True religion should be based upon the true gospel. What are some of the different gospels and where did they come from? Do you believe the true or a false gospel? Who is preaching the gospel? Here is a version in Korean 복음이란 무엇인가?.
Electrical End of the USA?  Could problems with the electrical power grid caused by one or more electo-magnetic pulse bombs, solar flares, and/or other phenomena help weaken the USA to the point of allowing it to be taken over? Does such potential exist? If so, is this consistent with any biblical prophecies? What are some of the severe consequences that the USA would face in the event of an electrical power grid failure? Is there evidence in scripture that the USA will be taken over in the 21st century? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more.
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for Asia? Who are the “Kings of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon? A YouTube video of interest may be Is China THE Threat to the United States of America?
The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy Is there a Eurasian union that will be formed? Is one being formed right now? Are any leaders working on that in the 21st century? Does the Bible teach that there will be a Eurasian union? If some type of Eurasian union is formed, who might it benefit and who will it destroy? A related video would be Is The Eurasian Union Rising?
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
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? 2026 or 20xx? There is also a video titled 6000 Years: When will God’s Kingdom Come? Here is a link to the article in Spanish: ¿Tiene Dios un plan de 6,000 años?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
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: Are Chinese threats against Australia for real?
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?
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill? Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill? Could a Donald Trump presidency be apocalyptic? A related video is titled: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic?
Trump Presidency Magic 8 Ball or Bible Prophecy? BBC reported that one might as well use a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’ to try to predict what will happen in the remaining time of Donald Trump’s presidency. What is a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’? Dr. Thiel not only explains that, but also briefly goes over 10 biblically-based warnings he wrote would happen if Donald Trump were elected that have already began to come to pass. He also goes over something he wrote back in 2008 that the Trump presidency is also helping lead to fulfillment. Should you trust Bible prophecy or not? Dr. Thiel says that Bible prophecy can be trusted, despite the view of skeptics and others that either overlook or despise the Bible. This is a video.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

Daylight Saving Time ending in the UK, the EU, and Ukraine: sunset times will be affected

Saturday, October 28th, 2017

COGwriter

Early Sunday morning, the United Kingdom, EU, Ukraine, and various other nations will change their clocks to go back to Standard Time and off of Daylight Saving Time:

28 October 2017

People across the UK will wake up having gained an hour’s sleep on Sunday morning, as the clocks go back heralding darker evenings and shorter days. http://www.bbc.com/news/health-41666563

28 October 2017

On October 29 (the night from Saturday to Sunday), Ukraine turns clocks one hour back for daylight saving time.

When local daylight time is about to reach Sunday, 29 October 2017, 04:00:00 clocks are turned backward 1 hour to Sunday, 29 October 2017, 03:00:00 local standard time instead. https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society/2333378-ukraine-turns-clocks-back-for-daylight-saving-time.html

Because of that, sunset will be over an hour earlier this Friday in many lands. This change will affect the USA and much of North America November 5th as that is when those regions go off Daylight Saving Time.

Daylight Saving Time is controversial and various ones want to stop the need to change the clocks twice per year. Notice the following:

October 28, 2017

THE European Union is coming under pressure to stop daylight savings time after more than 70,000 Finnish citizens have signed a petition against the seasonal time shift, arguing it is making them ill.

The government of Finland should tell Brussels it wants an end to the EU diktat on daylight savings time, a Finnish parliamentary committee has said. …

The committee said that after hearing several experts, it concluded that people do not adapt smoothly to the changes.

It added turning the clocks caused short-term sleeping disorders, reduced performance at work and could also lead to serious health problems.

The committee said in a statement: “The primary objective should be to abolish the clock movements on uniform basis throughout the European Union.”

Within the EU, clocks always go forward on the last Sunday in March, and back on the last Sunday in October. http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/872298/Finland-urges-EU-to-stop-daylight-savings-time

Health concerns aside, those of us who observe the weekly Sabbath from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday may wish to remember this time change. In places like where I am located, sunset on Friday will end up being prior to 5:00pm for many weeks.

This will affect not only those in the Churches of God, but others who keep the seventh-day Sabbath such as observant Jews and Seventh-day Adventists.

Here is a link for Sunset Times for the U.S.A. (and international cities if longitudinal location is known).

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

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 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?
Is God Unreasonable? Some have suggested that if God requires Sabbath-keeping He is unreasonable. Is that true?
SDA/CCOG Differences: Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 The genuine Church of God is NOT part of the Seventh-day Adventists. This article explains two prophetic differences, the trinity, differences in approaching doctrine, including Ellen White. Did Ellen White make prophetic errors? Did Ellen White make false prophecies? Here is a version in the Spanish language: SDA/COG Diferencias: La bestia de dos cuernos de Apocalipsis y 666. Here is a sermon in the English language: CCOG and SDA differences and similarities.
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.

Sermon: Debunking 17 reasons to celebrate Halloween

Saturday, October 28th, 2017

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God is pleased to announce this sermon from its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:14:11

Debunking 17 reasons to celebrate Halloween

What is Halloween? What do Druids and saints have to do with it? Does the Bible endorse Halloween? When did people start to observe it? Should Christians celebrate it? It seems like more reasons are given by some Protestants and Catholics each year to observe it. In this video, Dr. Thiel gives 17 reasons that have been given to celebrate Halloween and debunks each of them from the Bible. Three reasons he debunks have been promoted by the actor Kirk Cameron–with others from pastors and religious writers. He also debunks what could be called an 18th reason from a Catholic source–plus cites Catholic sources (including the Vatican) opposed to its observance.

Here is a link to our sermon: Debunking 17 reasons to celebrate Halloween.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Is Halloween Holy Time for Christians? Here are some historical and biblical insight on this question. There are many cultures that have celebrations and observances that are similar to some associated with Halloween. What did the Druids do? Is Halloween one of the most important holidays for Satanists? Do the Japanese, Indians, and Chinese have any practices that are similar to some associated with Halloween? Does the Bible endorse or condemn practices that are associated with Halloween? Here are links to two related sermonette length videos: Halloween: Are there 7 reasons for Christians to celebrate it? and International ‘Halloween’ Should Christians observe Halloween?
All Saints’ Day, the Day of the Dead, and All Souls’ Day When did “All Saints Day” and the “Day of the Dead” begin? “What about All Soul’s Day”?
The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings Who is 2 Thessalonians 2:3 referring to? Are there multiple falling aways? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: La Apostasía: Enseñanzas de la Biblia y de la WCG. There are also two YouTube videos on the subject that you can watch The Falling Away Part 1: From the Bible and Church History and The Falling Away Part 2: Positions Presented by Others.
Do You Practice Mithraism? Many practices and doctrines that mainstream so-called Christian groups have are the same or similar to those of the sun-god Mithras. December 25th was celebrated as his birthday. Do you follow Mithraism combined with the Bible or original Christianity? A sermon video from Vatican City is titled Church of Rome, Mithras, and Isis?
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 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?
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。.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

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 and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th 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.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God. There are links to literature is about 100 different languages there. 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? an CCOG: Four Years Revealing Philadelphia? Here is a written link to a version of that first sermon in the Spanish language: Aniversario del primer año de la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios: ¿Qué se ha cumplido?
Congregations of the Continuing Church of God This is a listing of congregations and groups of the Continuing Church of God around the world.
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 www.ccog.asia, 关注于亚洲并且有各种各样的中英文文章,其中一些用菲律宾语翻译的文章也正在进行中,准备添加到这个网站中。 Here is a link to our Statement of Beliefs in Mandarin Chinese 继续神的教会的信仰声明.
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.
CCOGAFRICA.ORG This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
CCOGCANADA.CA This is a website targeted towards those in Canada.
CDLIDD.ES La Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. This is the Spanish language website for the Continuing Church of God.
PNIND.PH Patuloy na Iglesya ng Diyos. This is the Philippines website Continuing Church of God. It has information in English and Tagalog.
CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo.
Bible News Prophecy online radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos as well as some ContinuingCOG channel sermons. It is also available as a mobile app.
ContinuingCOG channel. Dr. Thiel has produced scores of YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos.

WCC urges EU to oppose proposed ‘Greater Jerusalem’ legislation

Friday, October 27th, 2017


Official logo of the World Council of Churches from its website

COGwriter

The World Council of Churches continues to push its worldly objectives:

WCC urges EU to oppose proposed ‘Greater Jerusalem’ legislation

October 27, 2017

In a 26 October letter to the European Union, World Council of Churches (WCC) General Secretary the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed great concern over a proposed ‘Greater Jerusalem’ legislative initiative whereby the Knesset may render a two-state solution impossible. The letter was addressed to Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and reads:

“Your Excellency,

“The World Council of Churches has a long history of advocacy and action for peace with justice in Israel and Palestine, including strong support for the two-state solution as the best available arrangement for resolving the longstanding conflict, addressing the persistent injustice of occupation, and promoting a sustainable peace for both Palestinians and Israelis. We deeply regret the recent trajectory of developments in the region that renders this objective more and more distant, and undermines the hopes and legitimate aspirations of people who have been living under occupation for 50 years.

“It is therefore with great concern that we observe the proposed ‘Greater Jerusalem’ legislative initiative whereby the Knesset may render the two-state solution impossible. As Christians we are called by our faith to speak out when human dignity and rights are being violated, and as churches around the world we are committed to support international humanitarian and human rights law as a moral as well as a legal framework to be respected and implemented by all states. We are concerned that the proposed ‘Greater Jerusalem’ legislation may threaten the human rights of the Palestinian population of East Jerusalem and the Bedouins in area C, as well as the prospects for realisation of the two-state solution based on the 1967 lines.

“We firmly believe that a viable two-state solution is in the interests of both Israelis and Palestinians. It is the way to a just peace. The proposed legislation takes the opposite course, and threatens to further worsen the living conditions of both Palestinians and Bedouins in the affected areas, and to create a situation in which Palestinian East Jerusalemites are left geographically isolated, politically disempowered and economically moribund.

“It is of utmost importance that the EU, as a major voice for upholding international law, vigorously protests the proposed legislation. The relevant initiatives will be voted on already this Sunday, 29 October, and so the necessary action must be taken promptly.

“On behalf of the WCC’s member churches and partners around the world, I appeal to you to speak out urgently and clearly against this regressive and destructive initiative, that would do so much to undermine the EU’s own engagement for a just and sustainable peace in the region.

“Yours respectfully,

Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary”

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/24513

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has long wanted to get the world to accept its ideas, it even has its own ‘peace plan’ (watch World Council of Churches Peace Plan).

The WCC has often taken positions that the government of Israel does not like. The WCC believes it needs to inform the European Union on how to act against one or more Israeli positions.

The WCC wants ecumenical and interfaith unity as it believes it, and not the returning Jesus and the coming Kingdom of God is the solution to what plagues humankind.

The Vatican is not officially a member of the WCC. This gives the impression that the World Council of Churches is not a puppet organization of the Church of Rome. And while it is not quite a puppet organization, the World Council of Churches will essentially end up as one. The World Council of Churches has, and will, advocate for ecumenical unity with Rome. This is something that the Vatican has wanted for centuries.

Consider that the Bible warns of the following:

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12)

I believe that the WCC supports the “mystery of lawlessness” (see also Mystery of Iniquity). The WCC does NOT have a love of the truth. The WCC will encourage people to accept more lies in the future–especially when we see more of the prophesied signs and lying wonders.

As far as the mystery of lawlessness already being at work centuries ago, notice a quote from Serapion of Antioch in the late second/early third century:

That ye may see also that the proceedings of this lying confederacy, to which is given the name of New Prophecy, is abominated among the whole brotherhood throughout the world, I have sent you letters of the most blessed Claudius Apollinarius, who was made bishop of Hierapolis in Asia. (Serapion. From the epistle to Caricus and Ponticus. The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325. Roberts & Donaldson).

This is a reference from Serapion to the workings of Montanus. At the time he wrote this, the Church of Rome and those in Alexandria had not yet denounced Montanus, but tended to support him. Thus, Serapion was warning against the rise of the Greco-Roman confederation that was forming. Serapion called them a “lying confederacy.” Serapion is one of many to recognize that in the second/third centuries there were two groups that claimed Christianity–and while Montanus was eventually denounced by that confederacy, they ended up accepting “Gregory the Wonderworker” in the third century and accepting more false doctrines and more of their ecumenical unity (see also Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries?). The WCC and its cooperation with the Vatican reminds me of the confederacy that Serapion had problems with as well.

While some in the 21st century see ecumenical unity as a solution to problems for churches of this world, the Bible is clear that a group of churches, led by one from the city of seven hills, is to be avoided and will end in disaster:

1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

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

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

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

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

9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. …

18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. (Revelation 17:1-10)

Note: Even Roman Catholic scholars realize that Rome is the city mentioned in Revelation 17 (see also What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History?).

The WCC is part of what Revelation 17 warns against.

Many in the 21st century are falling for ecumenical unity as a means for peace, though it will not be quite as the WCC hopes for. The United Nations itself has stated that it supports the idea of trying to pursue peace through ecumenical and inter-faith means with religious leaders, and that it supports the Vatican’s agenda (see United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order?, here is a link to a related video: United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order).

The Bible does not teach that Christians will have the type of unity that the WCC, UN, and Vatican claim to want UNTIL AFTER THE FALL OF BABYLON. Notice that in Zechariah (a Catholic translation is shown below), the Bible warns against a coming ‘daughter of Babylon’ and shows that proper unity will not happen until after Jesus returns:

10 Look out! Look out! Flee from the land of the north — Yahweh declares- for I have scattered you to the four winds of heaven — Yahweh declares. 11 Look out! Make your escape, Zion, now living with the daughter of Babylon!

12 For Yahweh Sabaoth says this, since the Glory commissioned me, about the nations who plundered you, ‘Whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye. 13 Now look, I shall wave my hand over them and they will be plundered by those whom they have enslaved.’ Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me! 14 Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion, for now I am coming to live among you -Yahweh declares! 15 And on that day many nations will be converted to Yahweh. Yes, they will become his people, and they will live among you. Then you will know that Yahweh Sabaoth has sent me to you! 16 Yahweh will take possession of Judah, his portion in the Holy Land, and again make Jerusalem his choice. (Zechariah 2:12-16, New Jerusalem Bible-NJB)

(NOTE: The NJB verses for Zechariah 2:10-16 are shown as Zechariah 2:6-13 in the NKJV/KJV.)

The Bible tells that the ecumenical/inter-faith movement will also end in destruction (Revelation 18 & 19). This is not something that Catholics, Protestants, or the Eastern Orthodox should want (see also Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox?). The ecumenical and inter-faith plans that the Vatican, WCC, and the UN are promoting are clearly condemned by the Bible and should not be encouraged.

The Apostle Paul also taught that true unity of faith would not happen until after Jesus returns:

13 until we all reach unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God and form the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself. (Ephesians 4:13, NJB)

Those who believe this unity comes prior to Jesus’ return are in error.

Irrespective of its position related to “Greater Jerusalem,” the WCC is working on implementing parts of what I have called ‘Satan’s Plan.’

And Satan’s plan will have a certain success for a time. But that will change when Jesus returns and eliminates Satan and the world’s armies that will support him:

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. Revelation 19:11-21)

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. (Revelation 20:1-3)

While nearly all would deny it, the reality is that the WCC and the United Nations are actually working to set up alliances that will one day fight against Jesus! But they do not see it as they seem to have much more of a political agenda than a Bible believing agenda.

The WCC also has goals (e.g. The ‘Unpardonable Sin’ and ‘Climate Change’?) consistent with those of Pope Francis and the United Nations (watch UN’s ‘New Universal Agenda’ is a False Gospel! and United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order and Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III?).

While some of these goals will have some temporal success (e.g. Daniel 9:27; see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27), they will not last, but will bring on destruction.

Only the return of Jesus Christ and the millennial Kingdom will bring lasting peace to the world and to Jerusalem.

As far as Jerusalem goes, the Bible teaches:

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: (Psalm 122:6).

Hopefully, you do this.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There are also two related YouTube videos you can watch: Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated and God’s and Satan’s Plan for Jerusalem.
Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach? This free booklet contains 28 biblically-based tips on improving the effectiveness of your prayers. This is a pdf. A related two part sermon is available: What Does the Bible Teach About Prayer? and What does the Bible Teach About Prayer (& Healing)?
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.
Mystery of Iniquity What is the mystery of iniquity? How did it start? How will it end? Two related sermons are also available: The Mystery of Iniquity and The Mystery of Lawlessness.
The Ten Commandments: The Decalogue, Christianity, and the Beast This is a free draft/unedited pdf book explaining the what the Ten Commandments are, where they came from, how early professors of Christ viewed them, and how various ones, including the Beast of Revelation, will oppose them. A related sermon is titled: The Ten Commandments and the Beast of Revelation.
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.
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? See also World Council of Churches Peace Plan.
The ‘Unpardonable Sin’ and ‘Climate Change’? On September 7, 2016, Olav Fykse Tveit, Church of Norway Pastor, and the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, essentially declared that those who ignore ‘climate change’ are committing the ‘unpardonable sin’ and the Holy Spirit. Are those two even related? In this video, Dr. Thiel answers that and explains from the Bible what the ‘unpardonable sin’ is and how you can avoid it. He also discusses aspects of Christianity and the environment. This is a video.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God differ from most Protestants How the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants, is perhaps the question I am asked most by those without a Church of God background. As far as some changes affecting Protestantism, watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! [Português: Esperança do salvação: Como a igreja do deus difere da maioria de protestantes]
What is the Unpardonable Sin? What is it? Can you repent of it? Do you know what it is and how to avoid it? Here is a link to a related sermon video The Unpardonable Sin and the Prodigal Son.
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? Two related videos include UN’s ‘New Universal Agenda’ is a False Gospel! and United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
The Bible, Christians, and the Environment How should Christians view the environment? Does the Bible give any clues? What are some of the effects of air, water, and land pollution? Is environmental pollution a factor in autism and death? Do pollutants seem to double the autism risk? What will Jesus do? Here is a link to a related sermon: Christians and the Environment (there is also YouTube video available titled Air Pollution, Autism, and Prophecy).
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video sermon of related interest is: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? and a video sermon is also available: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against as well as require improper compromise.
Laudato Si: Pope’s Agenda or Kingdom of God? Pope Francis’ 2nd encyclical is titled ‘Laudato Si.’ In it, he goes over his views related to environmental, economic, social, moral, agricultural, and spiritual issues. He advocates international cooperation to solve various problems he believes are affecting humanity. Is that Pope’s agenda the solution? What about the Kingdom of God? does the Bible teach? Two related articles include Laudato Si: Will Pope Francis’ economic actions match his words? and Laudato Si: A call for a one-world government?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?
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 and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L’Histoire Continue de l’Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.

The future of the Euro, Dollar, and Catalonia

Friday, October 27th, 2017


European Central Bank, Frankfurt (Eric Chan)

COGwriter

There are concerns about the Euro and Catalonia:

October 27, 2017

LONDON (Reuters) – The euro fell on Friday and was on track for its biggest weekly loss of the year, weakened by falling core bond yields as investors added to bets that interest rates in the U.S. would rise faster than in Europe. https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-global-forex/euro-set-for-biggest-weekly-loss-in-2017-as-ecb-strikes-dovish-stance-idUSKBN1CW01U

Why For Euro Bulls The Pain Is Only Just Starting

October 27, 2017

Judging by the 200 pip tumble since the ECB’s meeting on Thursday, … the unexpectedly dovish taper clearly surprised many, and attention has fallen on the open-ended nature of the operation as the focus of that surprise. And speaking of said “open-ended” taper, overnight Boersen-Zeitung reported that Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann, Executive Board member Sabine Lautenschlaeger and Dutch central bank Governor Klaas Knot all opposed Draghi’s decision. even as other policy makers were critical, if not opposed, including Benoit Coeure. Of course, in the end whatever Draghi wants, Draghi gets and the result if a slap in the face for all Euro bulls.

However, if Bloomberg’s macro commentator and resident contrarian, Marc Cudmore, is correct, the Euro’s descent has only just begun and the pain for said bulls is only just starting, because as he writes in his overnight Macro View note “Structural long-term arguments for being bullish EUR/USD, while entirely logical, are largely irrelevant right now. Investors are enthusiastically adopting the concept of a correction in the pair and won’t be easily dissuaded” especially since it now appears that no matter who the next Fed chair is, more rate hikes are coming, and a greater interest rate spread differential between the US and Europe is just a matter of time. And then there is the threat of if not tax reform, then tax cuts, and while “the ultimate economic impact of any watered-down agreement may be minimal, but that’s a trading theme for another month. The positive sentiment of domestic policy potentially getting passed under the Trump administration is what markets care about now.”

Oh, and there is the whole Catalan thing, which traders are finally paying attention to.

That, and other reasons, is why when looking at the chart below, the 200 pip move in the past 24 hours may be just the start of a broad correction that takes the EURUSD back to 1.10 if not lower. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-10-27/why-euro-bulls-pain-only-just-starting

27 October 2017

The Catalan parliament has finally declared the region independent after Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy said he wants Spain to take direct control of Catalonia.

But before the vote, opposition parties stormed out of parliament in protest – with pro-independence MPs draping their empty seats with Catalan flags.

The Spanish senate, where Prime Minister Rajoy’s Popular Party holds an absolute majority, will vote on steps to depose Catalonia’s secessionist government later this afternoon. It is expected to back his plans.

The unprecedented move could spark violence … several thousand pro-independence protesters have gathered near the Catalan parliament in Barcelona. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5023203/Catalonia-explode-violence-Madrid-imposes-

October 27, 2017

Catalan lawmakers voted to set up an independent state, an irrevocable step that augured a dramatic confrontation with Spanish authorities while delighting their supporters in the streets.  …

The resolution approved by the parliament in Barcelona said a new republic independent from Spain had been set in motion. The portion of the text submitted to a vote included measures to ask all nations and institutions to recognize the Catalan Republic. Separatist lawmakers broke out into the Catalan anthem while opposition parties boycotted the vote.

“We constitute the Catalan Republic, as an independent and sovereign country, under the rule of law,” said the preamble to the resolution, read out by speaker Carme Forcadell before the secret ballot. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-27/catalan-parliament-votes-to-implement-independent-state-j99xp4qr

The Euro will have issues, Europe will have issues. As I have written for years, there will be more civil unrest in Spain.

The Bible shows that the final European Beast power will not be naturally-united:

41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. (Daniel 2:41-43)

Yet, despite various issues, Catalonia will cooperate and be part of Europe. A militaristic leader will rise up in Europe and gain control (cf. Revelation 17:12-13; see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).

But as far as the Euro and the US dollar go, back in 2009, in my book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, I published the following:

It would seem that once the U.S. dollar totally collapses people all around the world will consider that even if the Euro is strong, having a more gold-backed currency would be safer.  Having the European power acquiring a lot more gold to back the Euro (even if the backing is only implied) or possibly other future European currency (that might potentially replace the Euro) may greatly increase European credibility, prosperity, and influence around the globe.

And I have quoted that at this news page off and on since then. Here some quotes from my 2017 book, Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse:

While the Bible shows the Europeans will have difficulties being together (Daniel 2:41-43), it also shows that they will reorganize and unite (Revelation 17:12-13). …

It has been proposed that various nations around the world are already in the process of accumulating gold to one day overthrow the U.S. dollar—and that the “U.S. is unprepared for this strategic alternative to dollar dominance” (Rickards J. Axis of Gold. The Daily Reckoning, December 20, 2016).

When the U.S. dollar totally collapses people all around the world will consider that even if the Euro (or something similar) is strong, having a more gold-backed currency would be safer.

The collapse of the USA dollar will shake a lot of the world’s confidence in non-gold backed currencies.

The Europeans do not have to have a perfect currency, only one that is perceived to be in better shape than the USA dollar.

Having the European power acquiring more gold to back the Euro or possibly another future European currency (that might potentially replace the Euro or even a basket of currencies) may greatly increase European credibility, prosperity, and influence around the globe, even if the backing is only implied.

The reality is that the Euro has issues, but Europe and others are taking steps to replace the US dollar as the world’s primary reserve currency and are using gold as part of their plan.

The Germans, for one example, have repatriated gold ahead of schedule (see Germany has brought back its gold and EU approves CETA and/or watch Germany, Gold, and the US Dollar). A European leader will be the Beast of Revelation 13:1-10 (watch also Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?).

The Chinese and Russians have been accumulating gold and are making a push to reduce the dominance of the US dollar–this is of more significance than many realize:

The Rise Of The Petroyuan

October 27, 2017

China is aiming to overthrow the U.S. dollar as the currency of choice for the oil market, a move that could have far-reaching consequences.

Since the 1970s, the oil trade has almost entirely been conducted in U.S. dollars, even when buyers and producers are not American. The ramifications of the dollar-denominated oil trade are immense: Because oil is priced in dollars, there is huge demand for dollars, lending the U.S. economic and strategic power.

Beijing hopes to challenge the dollar by setting up a futures market with its own currency, the yuan. To that end, reports indicate that China is set to introduce an oil benchmark priced in yuan in the coming months. http://www.nasdaq.com/article/the-rise-of-the-petroyuan-cm866627

October 27, 2017

– Russia adds 1.1 million ounces to reserves in ongoing diversification from USD
– 34 ton addition brings Russia’s Central Bank holdings to 1,779t; 6th highest

Both Russia and China have created mechanisms for trading nations to use gold rather than the US dollar in bilateral trade arrangements. … US dollar hegemony has given the United States unparalleled strategic advantage, notably preventing Russia and China from creating an economic area of integration. For years this has worked in the United States’ favour, however when Putin came on the scene Russia almost immediately began to gradual move away from US dollar dependency. http://news.goldseek.com/GoldSeek/1509108282.php

The imminent introduction of oil trading in yuan is a very bold move by the Chinese, because the US will not give up the basis of its hegemony – the dollar as the world’s reserve currency – without a fight, Max Keiser, host of RT’s financial program ‘Keiser Report’ has said. …

Countries worldwide are tired of funding the America’s “military adventurism by being a party to the ‘Empire of Debt,’ as it’s known around the world – the US dollar,” and therefore, will likely join the de-dollarization movement, Keiser said. https://www.rt.com/business/407789-us-petro-dollar-yuan/

The USA is an empire of debt. Many outside the USA see this.

The budget currently moving through the US federal government continues to propose increasing that debt. That will one day be a factor leading to the end of the USA according to biblical prophecies such as the following:

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry…5 Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, He is a proud man… 6 “Will not all these take up a proverb against him, And a taunting riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases What is not his–how long? And to him who loads himself with many pledges’? 7 Will not your creditors rise up suddenly? Will they not awaken who oppress you? And you will become their booty. 8 Because you have plundered many nations, All the remnant of the people shall plunder you. Because of men’s blood And the violence of the land and the city, And of all who dwell in it. (Habakkuk 2:3,5,6-8).

9 “Woe to him who covets evil gain for his house, That he may set his nest on high, That he may be delivered from the power of disaster! 10 You give shameful counsel to your house, Cutting off many peoples, And sin against your soul. 11 For the stone will cry out from the wall, And the beam from the timbers will answer it. (Habakkuk 2:9-11)

The above prophecy will be fulfilled at the time of the end (cf. “The message was true, but the appointed time was long…in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come,” Daniel 10:1,14). Daniel 8:19, 11:27,29,35 use the same Hebrew term for “appointed time” as Habakkuk 2:3, while Daniel 10, using a different term, ties the latter days to the time in Daniel 8:19. Habakkuk 2 was not fulfilled in its entirety anciently. It is NOT a reference to the tiny Jewish nation of Israel. Consider that the USA is the most indebted nation of all time–that debt will be a factor in its end.

While many are focused on China dethroning the US dollar, the Europeans also have a plan. And biblical prophecy shows that it will be Europe (Revelation 13,17,18) that will dominate the economy of the world for 42 months (Revelation 13:5) after it eliminates the USA (cf. Daniel 11:39; see also USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses).

The bottom line is that the Chinese and Europeans want to overthrow USA dominance. And the USA will lose its dominance.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The End of US Dollar Dominance Is the USA losing its economic status? What about the petro-gold-yuan? A related video is also available: US Dollar being challenged by Gold-Petro-Yuan.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous.
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the former German Defense Minister (who is also the former German Minister for Economics and Technology) one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest?
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters Where did the Chinese people come from? This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel. Here is a link to a version of this article in Spanish: ¿Prueban los caracteres chinos la exactitud de la Biblia?
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for Asia? Who are the “Kings of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon? A YouTube video of interest may be Is China THE Threat to the United States of America?
The Eurasian Union, the Kings of the East, and Bible Prophecy Is there a Eurasian union that will be formed? Is one being formed right now? Are any leaders working on that in the 21st century? Does the Bible teach that there will be a Eurasian union? If some type of Eurasian union is formed, who might it benefit and who will it destroy? A related video would be Is The Eurasian Union Rising?
Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end? There is also a video sermon available: Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy and a video sermonette available: Ukraine in Prophecy?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
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?
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill?  Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill?  Could a Donald Trump presidency be apocalyptic?  A related video is titled: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic?
Trump Presidency Magic 8 Ball or Bible Prophecy? BBC reported that one might as well use a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’ to try to predict what will happen in the remaining time of Donald Trump’s presidency. What is a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’? Dr. Thiel not only explains that, but also briefly goes over 10 biblically-based warnings he wrote would happen if Donald Trump were elected that have already began to come to pass. He also goes over something he wrote back in 2008 that the Trump presidency is also helping lead to fulfillment. Should you trust Bible prophecy or not? Dr. Thiel says that Bible prophecy can be trusted, despite the view of skeptics and others that either overlook or despise the Bible. This is a video.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse This 188 page book is for people truly interested in prophecies related to Donald Trump and the United States, including learning about several that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon for $12.99 from the following link: Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-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 Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition.

This is when many compromised professors of Christ became militaristic

Friday, October 27th, 2017


Labarum Cross

COGwriter

On October 28, 312 there was a battle at the Milvian Bridge between Constantine (a follower of Mithras) and Maxentius that Constantine’s side won. Prior to the time of Constantine, even most apostates who claimed Jesus did not believe that Christians should war.

Despite that fact, that day is observed by some Catholics as Milvian Bridge Day, as well as St. Jude’s Day. Having both of them observed the same day is somewhat an odd occurrence as there is a major contradiction between the two.

What is the contradiction?

The one known as Saint Jude wrote the following:

3…contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

Hence, the Apostle Jude was advocating not changing the Christian faith from that which the apostles were given.

Yet, Milvian Bridge Day signifies the beginning of a series of events that led to the adoption of many additional changes in the faith commonly referred to as Catholic, often from the faith of the followers of Mithras. Milvian Bridge Day marks a rise in many aspects of Mithraism and other religious ideas held by Constantine.

For example, did you know that the “cross” became a military symbol after the sun-worshiping Emperor Constantine, and member of the highly militarized cult of Mithraism, claimed to have a vision and a dream on/near what is now known as Milvian Bridge Day:

In 312, the Roman Emperor Constantine I the Great was in Trier, Germany where he had an unexpected vision of a cross that appeared in the sky..Constantine’s soldiers, the majority of whom were pagans, placed the sacred image of the cross on their shields (Mangan C.M. In This Sign You Conquer, 10/15/03 Copyright © 2004 Catholic Online).

He {Constantine} said that about noon, when the day was already beginning to decline, he saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens , above the sun, and bearing the inscription , Conquer by this…in his sleep the Christ of God appeared to him with the same sign which he had seen in the heavens , and commanded him to make a likeness of that sign which he had seen in the heavens , and to use it as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies….At dawn of day he arose, and communicated the marvel to his friends: and then, calling together the workers in gold and precious stones, he sat in the midst of them, and described to them the figure of the sign he had seen, bidding them represent it in gold and precious stones…

Now it was made in the following manner. A long spear, overlaid with gold, formed the figure of the cross by means of a transverse bar laid over it. On the top of the whole was fixed a wreath of gold and precious stones; and within this, the symbol of the Saviour’s name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its centre…

The emperor constantly made use of this sign of salvation as a safeguard against every adverse and hostile power, and commanded that others similar to it should be carried at the head of all his armies. (Eusebius. The Life of Constantine, Book I, Chapters 28,30,31).

This type of cross is known as a labarum:

The Labarum (☧) was a vexillum (military standard) that displayed the first two Greek letters of the word “Christ” (Greek: ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, or Χριστός) — Chi (χ) and Rho (ρ).It was first used by the Roman emperor Constantine I…

Though modern representations of the chi-rho sign represent the two lines crossing at ninety degree angles, the early examples of the Chi-Rho cross at an angle that is more vividly representative of the chi formed by the solar ecliptic path and the celestial equator. This image is most familiar in Plato’s Timaeus…Of Plato’s image in Timaeus, Justin Martyr, the Christian apologist writing in the second century, found a prefiguration of the Cross (Labarum. Wikipedia, viewed 03/04/09).

So, the Chi-Rho existed from at least the time of Plato (a pagan philosopher), but was adopted by Constantine centuries after Christ died. The heretic Justin was probably the one who originally encouraged its adoption, and he apparently got it from Plato. Use of crosses by Christians was not part of the original faith that the Apostle Jude said to contend for.

There is also a Catholic writer who indicates that the image or perhaps mark of the beast may be something that resembles that Constantinian cross:

Priest P. Huchedé (19th century): Antichrist will further make all men, great and small, rich and poor, freemen and bondmen, bear a sign on their right arm or their forehead. (Apoc. 13:16). What this sign shall be time alone will reveal. Yet there are some {Catholic} commentators of the Holt Writ, who, according to a special revelation pretend to say that it shall be formed out of the Greek letters X and P, interlaced…which resembles the number of Christ. (Cornelius a Lapide in Epis. 2 to Thes.). No one can either buy or sell without this mark, as specified in the Apocalypse (13:17). (Huchedé, P. Translated by JBD. History of Antichrist. Imprimatur: Edward Charles Fabre, Bishop of Montreal. English edition 1884, Reprint 1976. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 24).

If the cross is a symbol of the future Antichrist/Beast power as Priest P. Huchedé indicates it likely could be (and it is in a book with an official imprimatur), perhaps those who come from faiths descended from Emperor Constantine should be concerned about their religion now–before it becomes even further removed from the original faith. The Bible indicates that the true Christians will NOT have the symbol/mark needed to buy or sell when the two beasts of Revelation 13 are in power, but only those that follow those two beasts will (Revelation 13:16-17)–and while crosses may not necessarily be required everywhere, other Catholic writings suggest that in certain places, they will be.

Consider that, prior to Constantine, relatively few who professed Christ would voluntarily be part of the military, and none of the truly faithful did. Even knowledgeable scholars realize that the original Christians would not kill or intentionally participate in military service. Yet, after Emperor Constantine claimed to see a spear in the sky with a traverse bar (see Constantine is Why “Christians” War), most soldiers in the Roman Empire professed Christianity. Now the group that accepted his authority then allowed him to convene what is known as the Council of Nicea in 325. A.D. with the unbaptized Emperor Constantine functioning as a “lay bishop” despite not having had hands laid upon him, etc. He also came up with a term for the Godhead that many still use today (see quote from Dr. H. Brown in Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity?).

It was, in large measure because of the influence of Constantine, many changes were made and/or adopted that contradicted the original faith that the Apostle Jude said that Christians were to contend earnestly for (Jude 3).

While some have falsely claimed that God gave that vision to Emperor Constantine, those same ones tend to overlook a vision that Constantine claimed to have two years before this. Constantine personally claimed to see an apparition of the sun god Sol in a grove of Apollo in Gaul in 310 (discussed in Rodgers, Barbara S. “Constantine’s Pagan Vision, ”Byzantion, vol. 50, 1980, pp. 259–78).

Even after his alleged conversion to his claimed version of the Christian faith in 312 (if he was ever baptized, it was supposedly on his death bed in 337 A.D., despite Emperor Constantine declaring himself a lay “Christian” bishop by 325), Emperor Constantine still put the sun god Sol on his coins.

Constantine was NOT a true Christian.

Thus, those who observe either of these days should meditate on whether they should listen more to Jude’s biblical admonition or observe the many changes that a follower of the Mithras religion got various bishops and others to follow.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Do You Practice Mithraism? Many practices and doctrines that mainstream so-called Christian groups have are the same or similar to those of the sun-god Mithras. December 25th was celebrated as his birthday. Do you follow Mithraism combined with the Bible or original Christianity? A sermon video from Vatican City is titled Church of Rome, Mithras, and Isis?
What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol? Was the cross used as a venerated symbol by the early Church? A related YouTube video would be Origin of the Cross.
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?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
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 and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L’Histoire Continue de l’Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.

Michael Pence, Pope Francis, Pope Tawadros, Middle East persecution, SDAs, etc.

Thursday, October 26th, 2017


Vice President Pence, Pope Francis, and Pope Tawadros II

COGwriter

US Vice President Michael Pence spoke out against religious persecution in the Middle East:

October 26, 2017

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says the State Department will no longer fund “ineffective” U.N. relief efforts for persecuted and religious minorities in the Middle East, and instead pay for them directly through the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Pence announced the move in a Wednesday night speech at a dinner for a group called In Defense of Christians, which works to “promote greater awareness of the plight of Christians in the Middle East.”

“We will no longer rely on the United Nations alone to assist persecuted Christians and minorities in the wake of genocide and the atrocities of terrorist groups,” Pence said. “The United States will work hand-in-hand from this day forward with faith-based groups and private organizations to help those who are persecuted for their faith.”

The vice president said the U.N. has failed to help religious minorities, leaving them to “suffer and struggle needlessly.”

Pence did not give specifics about which countries are involved, the timing of the change or how much money would be shifted from U.S. contributions to the United Nations.

He said Christianity is “under unprecedented assault in those ancient lands where it first grew,” making specific references to Iraq, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon. https://www.voanews.com/a/pence-to-visit-israel-and-egypt-in-december/4086864.html

Pope Francis made some comments on persecution in the Middle East today:

October 26, 2017

“My thoughts turn in a particular way to those Christians who in our day face grave trials and sufferings, enduring persecution for the name of Jesus,” Pope Francis said this to a delegation from the Church of Scotland on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, in the Vatican.

Francis recalled that today’s meeting took place during the fifth centenary of the Reformation, which he joined in commemorating last year in Lund, Sweden, Oct. 31-Nov.1, 2016.

“Let us thank the Lord for the great gift of being able to live this year in true fraternity, no longer as adversaries, after long centuries of estrangement and conflict,” he said…

For so long we regarded one another from afar, all too humanly, harbouring suspicion, dwelling on differences and errors, and with hearts intent on recrimination for past wrongs.

In the spirit of the Gospel, we are now pursuing the path of humble charity that leads to overcoming division and healing wounds. …

My thoughts turn in a particular way to those Christians who in our day face grave trials and sufferings, enduring persecution for the name of Jesus. So many of them bear a heavy cross as they profess their faith, many to the point of martyrdom. Their witness impels us to persevere, with love and courage, to the end. Our dialogue directed to full unity, our witness and our shared service, our commitment to pray for one another and to overcome the wounds of the past: these are also a response that is owed to them, within this great “we” of faith.

It is my prayerful hope that the journey to visible unity will continue daily and bear rich fruits for the future, as it has in the recent past. The Catholic Church, especially through the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has engaged for decades in a fruitful cooperation with the Church of Scotland and the World Communion of Reformed Churches, and desires to continue on this path.

https://zenit.org/articles/pope-the-witness-of-persecuted-christians-pushes-us-to-persevere/

Michael Pence considers himself to be an “Evangelical Catholic.” He has lauded his Roman Catholic upbringing combined with his becoming an evangelical.

Pope Francis, of course professes Roman Catholicism, but with options for non-Catholics. And when Francis spoke today, he tied his comments in with the coming 500th anniversary of the Reformation and his ecumenical plans. He is not alone in this.

Notice something related to some other Greco-Roman church leaders:

For the first time, Pope Tawadros II, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandira; Patriarch Ignatius Afrem II of the Syriac Orthodox Church; Catholicos Karekin II, supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church and Catholicos Baselios Morthoma Paulose II, Supreme Head of the Malankara Indian Orthodox Church visited Germany together.

They were there to inform political and church representatives on the bad and sad situation in the region where Christianity originates.

For the Berlin Dome it was a historic moment on Oct. 21.

“Never in the 112 years history of this Evangelical church building in the center of the German capital has the colorful variety of Christian faith been more obvious,” wrote Katja Dorothea Buck a journalist who covers religion and politics in Germany.

“Prayers, lectures and hymns were performed in Aramaic, Syriac, Armenian, Coptic, English and German. Ethiopian, Armenian, Syrian and Coptic church choirs contributed with their respective liturgical music.

THERE FOR THE REFORMATION

Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, chairperson of the Council of the EKD, the alliance of German Lutheran and Protestant churches said, “It’s a great honor for the Evangelical Church in Germany that the four Oriental churches accepted the invitation to come to Germany to commemorate the Reformation, to share their suffering and to pray with us,” …

Syrian Patriarch Ignatius Afrem II thanked EKD for the invitation which gave the patriarchs the opportunity to discuss over four days what his church faces with political leaders and representatives of the churches in Germany.

 “Thousands of people have been killed. Many people had to endure martyrdom. Hundreds of churches were destroyed. We are grateful that we were able to tell our story,” the patriarch said. …”We are thankful to be invited to celebrate with the German Evangelical Church the 500 years of Reformation which brought many positive elements,” Afrem noted.

 “The Reformation reminds us all to be faithful in the Gospel. But it also brought division in the body of Christ.”

In 2017 Chrisitans are commemorating 500 years since priest Martin Luther nailed his 95 protests to a Wittenberg church against wrongdoing in the Catholic Church to start the Reformation.

In the 18th and 19th century Protestant missionaries came to the Middle East to evangelize among the Orthodox faithful and created new churches, he explained.

“Today we recognize our Protestant sisters and brothers. But we are concerned that there are new Evangelical groups proselytizing among our members. They take advantage of their sad situation,” he said, 10/25/17  http://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/coptic-pope-and-oriental-patriarchs-pay-historic-visit-to-germany/60441.htm

The persecution of the Catholics, Orthodox, Copts, Protestants, and others in the Middle East is wrong and terrible. Those affected have long been in my prayers.

But the solution is not the type of ecumenical unity that leaders of these groups are working towards.

Their meetings and plans remind me of the efforts of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who arose around a time of persecution.

Consider something about Constantine from The Catholic Encyclopedia:

Constantine the Great… Constantine can rightfully claim the title of Great, for he turned the history of the world into a new course and made Christianity…the religion of the State… it is easy to understand that many of the emperors yielded to the delusion that they could unite all their subjects in the adoration of the one sun-god who combined in himself the Father-God of the Christians and the much-worshipped Mithras; thus the empire could be founded anew on unity of religion. Even Constantine…cherished this mistaken belief… Could not Sol Deus Invictus, to whom even Constantine dedicated his coins for a long time, or Sol Mithras Deus Invictus, venerated by Diocletian and Galerius, become the supreme god of the empire? Constantine may have pondered over this. Nor had he absolutely rejected the thought even after a miraculous event had strongly influenced him in favour of the God of the Christians…  As pontifex maximus he watched over the heathen worship and protected its rights. …It is true that the believers in Mithras also observed Sunday as well as Christmas. Consequently Constantine speaks not of the day of the Lord, but of the everlasting day of the sun. … A law of 333 commanded the state officials to enforce the decisions of the bishops, a bishop’s testimony should be considered sufficient by all judges and no witness was to be summoned after a bishop had testified. (Herbermann C., Georg Gp. Constantine the Great. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908).

Constantine had an interfaith agenda and ended up combining Mithraism with a profession of Christianity (see also Do You Practice Mithraism?)–he used a council to get some of that accomplished and state pressure for other aspects of his interfaith/political unity project. He started off by encouraging soldiers to put crosses (see also What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol?) on their shields and fight–these soldiers were NOT Christian (see also Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare or Encourage Violence?). After winning the battle of Milvian Bridge and improperly claiming he saw Jesus, he then (combined with political and economic pressure) was able to get the Greco-Roman faiths to accept his views of participation in carnal warfare.

He legalized Christianity in 313, but later authorized persecution against those who did not agree with ‘Constantinian Christianity’ (Edict Against Heretics, 332), including those who held to the original Christian faith (see Persecutions by Church and State).

Notice the following prophecy about a warring god:

36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:36-39)

Emperor Constantine worshiped his ‘god of fortresses.’ The Bible prophesies that another (the European King of the North) will do so as well–this leader will rise up within this century! And despite claiming peace, this leader will also persecute those who hold to the true Christian faith.

Furthermore, understand that the Bible shows that a compromised religion based in the city of seven hills will encourage his activities for a time (Revelation 17).

The interfaith agenda Pope Francis and others advocate will not lead to lasting peace. It may lead to temporary peace (cf. Daniel 9:27), but sudden destruction will come one day per 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

The interfaith and ecumenical leaders do not know the way of peace. Their ignorance is consistent with the following written by the prophet Isaiah:

8 The way of peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace. (Isaiah 59:8)

The interfaith movement is based upon a crooked path as it does NOT hold to the necessity of Jesus for salvation (Acts 4:10-12), nor does  the ecumenical movement actually advocate living according to the way that He and early Christians taught.

Since several ‘Orthodox’ leaders have been meeting related to the Reformation, notice a prediction from an Eastern Orthodox saint from centuries ago:

Saint Nelios the Myrrh-Gusher (died 1592): During that time the Eighth and last Ecumenical Synod will take place, which will satisfy the contentions of the heretics…(Tzima Otto, H. The Great Monarch and WWIII in Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Scriptural Prophecies. Verenikia Press, Rock Hill (SC), 2000, p. 111).

By satisfying “heretics,” clearly this council is prophesied to compromise and change the religion, which will be called “Catholic” according to other such predictions.

Some Orthodox look forward to this “eighth ecumenical council,” but also expect an antipope and war near then:

Helen Tzima Otto (20th century): We have been told time and time again through the prophets that the Great Monarch and Papa Angelorum…will convene the 8th Ecumenical Council, which will reunify all Christians…The Emperor will spend three years waging wars against the non-Christian nations…{later will be} the end time schism of the Roman Catholic Church of the End Times and the rise of an antipope. (Tzima Otto, pp. xxv, 103, 122)

Apparently the “non-Christian nations” will be those that do not desire to be part of the ecumenical church that is to form. But the Emperor mentioned above sounds like the final King of the North of biblical prophecy. Like the King of the North and Emperor Constantine, this Emperor (often called ‘the Great Monarch‘ is Roman and Eastern Orthodox Catholic prophecies) will be a warrior.

Sadly, the interfaith and ecumenical agenda will temporarily succeed (cf. Revelation 13:4,8).

Pope Francis is an ecumenically-oriented pontiff, and we have seen more ecumenically-oriented Orthodox leaders the past several years than have been seen in centuries. Many seem to have similar objectives. Even the head of the United Nations supports their agenda (see United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order?).

The end time ‘New Babylon’ is in the process of forming.

The Bible and Roman Catholic writings warn against the type of ecumenical unity that many Greco-Roman leaders want. As bizarre as this will seem to some who understand certain end-time biblical prophecies, the Eastern Orthodox actually look forward to a time of a new Babylon:

Monk Leontios (died 543): Rejoice, oh most unhappy one, oh New Babylon!…You, who are the New Babylon rejoice now on behalf of Zion! New Babylon, dance, bounce and leap greatly, make known even those in Haydes what a Grace you have received. Because that peace which was yours to enjoy in times past, and which God has deprived you of in course of battles, receive it once more from the hand of an Angel…oh, the City of Seven Hills the dominion will be yours. (Tzima Otto, H. The Great Monarch and WWIII in Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Scriptural Prophecies. Verenikia Press, Rock Hill (SC), 2000, pp. 82-83).

This is something that the Bible and at least one Catholic priest have warned against:

2…Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” 4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. (Revelation 18:2-5)

6 “Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,” says the Lord; “for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,” says the Lord. 7 “Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.” (Zechariah 2:6-7)

Priest H. Kramer (20th century): In the vision of the Seer now appears a second beast rising out of the earth, having two horns like a lamb but speaking like a dragon…In other places he is called the false prophet…This prophet may re-establish the pagan Roman Empire and build the “Great Harlot”, Babylon… The False Prophet…will persuade all infidels, apostates and apostate nations to worship and adore him…Antichrist “sitteth in the temple of God” (I Thes. II. 4). This is not the ancient Temple in Jerusalem…this temple is shown to be a Catholic Church…The False Prophet will proclaim the resurrection of the Roman Empire. (Kramer H., p. 318,320-323)

A video sermon is also available about this: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?

These ecumenical calls and next week’s Reformation anniversary are steps in that direction. Watch also: Pope Francis’ Celebration of Reformation’s 500th Anniversary.

A Seventh-Day Adventist sent me the following today:

Lutherans Heal the Prophetic Deadly Wound; Will Adventists Follow?
“Lutherans joint communion with Catholics next week celebrates the healing of a ‘deadly wound’ on the 500th anniversary of Luther’s protest, says Dr. Richard Ruhling, author on current events,  citing the Bible’s prophecy of this for those who wish to understand its meaning, Revelation 13:3.
Ruhling offers following explanation. The book of Daniel uses beasts to represent nations like a bear or eagle represent Russia or the US. In Daniel 7, the lion, bear, leopard and dragon were a prophetic picture of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia and then Rome which had a little horn grow out of it, representing the papacy that survived in spite of a deadly wound to the beast in Rev 13.
Revelation 13 shows it as an amalgamation of Daniel 7—mouth like a lion, feet like a bear, looked like a leopard, and had the total of 7 heads and 10 horns from Daniel 7. The healing of the deadly wound was also seen as every living US president bowed before the casket of a dead John Paul.
An article in Ministry Magazine said Luther replied to questions about the Sabbath by saying it was part of the Jewish ceremonial law that was ‘nailed to the cross.’
Seventh-day Adventists point to the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 to show that the Sabbath is part of the moral law (verses 8-11), and not nailed to the cross because Christ told his followers to pray that their flight (decades later) would not be on the Sabbath day, Matthew 24.
The book of Acts has only one reference to “the first day,” but nine to the Sabbath, two being “every Sabbath” as the practice of the apostles was for its observance. With no text showing that Sunday is ‘the Lord’s day,’ it’s a mystery how Rome could pull off their blessing the day of pagan worship and their claim of apostolic succession and boast of tradition as authority over the Bible.
Luther said, “a simple layman armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it.” In following Luther rather than the Bible, Lutherans made choices that brought them to next week’s joint communion with Rome and a welcome back to the “mother” church, Revelation 17:5. It’s taken 500 years. Adventists seem to be on a more accelerated course. …
Ellen White (a founder 40 years earlier) replied, “How is the faithful city become a harlot?”—a reference to the above text in Revelation. Testimonies for the Church, Vol 8, p 250.
Church leaders today side with Rome in abolishing the annual Sabbaths as part of the ceremonial law—like Luther claimed for the 7th day Sabbath. They fail to see that the appointed times, mo’ed, in Genesis 1:14, were before any Jews and mo’ed applies to God’s feasts in Leviticus 23:44, a chapter where they are enjoined “forever throughout all your generations.”
The Christian does not need to do Jewish ceremonies or offer sacrifices, but can honor those appointed times, mo’ed as Christ did when He instituted communion service in place of Passover.
Christ’s wedding parables all have Passover imagery. He will be looking for an intelligent bride; those who seek to understand His words, like we want our spouses to please us in marriage.

So, there are SDAs who have concerns as well about the ecumenical direction of the world and their church. It is my hope and prayer that SDAs, Orthodox Catholics, Roman Catholics, Protestants, and others will wake-up and return to the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

Despite biblical and other warnings, Greco-Roman leaders and certain others seem determined to help fulfill prophecies that warn against what they are trying to do (watch also Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?).

Those who truly believe the Bible will have no part of it.

Some items of related interest may include:

Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox? Are the current ecumenical meetings a good thing or will they result in disaster? Is doctrinal compromise good? Here is a link to a related video Should you be concerned about the ecumenical movement?
Beware: Protestants Going Towards Ecumenical Destruction! What is going on in the Protestant world? Are Protestants turning back to their ‘mother church’ in Rome? Does the Bible warn about this? What are Catholic plans and prophecies related to this? Is Protestantism doomed? watch the video Charismatic Kenneth Copeland and Anglican Tony Palmer: Protestants Beware! and World Council of Churches Peace Plan.
Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus? Will the final “Anti-Christ” be Jewish, insist on Saturday, be opposed to the trinity, and bring in the millennium? Certain Catholic writings indicate this, while others take a different view, but what does the Bible show? A related sermon is Will Jesus Christ be called the Antichrist?
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video sermon of related interest is: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? and a video sermon is also available: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
Orthodox Must Reject Unity with the Roman Catholics Unity between these groups will put them in position to be part of the final end time Babylon that the Bible warns against as well as require improper compromise.
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? A related video would be United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
Laudato Si: Pope’s Agenda or Kingdom of God? Pope Francis’ 2nd encyclical is titled ‘Laudato Si.’ In it, he goes over his views related to environmental, economic, social, moral, agricultural, and spiritual issues. He advocates international cooperation to solve various problems he believes are affecting humanity. Is that Pope’s agenda the solution? What about the Kingdom of God? does the Bible teach? Two related articles include Laudato Si: Will Pope Francis’ economic actions match his words? and Laudato Si: A call for a one-world government?
India and the Beast of Revelation 13 Do biblical, Catholic, and even Hindu prophecies suggest that many in India will follow, for a while, the Beast and False Prophet/Antichrist? Here is link to a related YouTube video Will People in India Worship the Beast of Revelation 13?
Could Pope Francis be the Last Pope and Antichrist? According to some interpretations of the prophecies of the popes by the Catholic saint and Bishop Malachy, Pope Francis I is in the position of “Peter the Roman,” the pontiff who reigns during tribulations until around the time of the destruction of Rome. Do biblical prophecies warn of someone that sounds like Peter the Roman? Could Francis I be the heretical antipope of Catholic private prophecies and the final Antichrist of Bible prophecy? This is a YouTube video.
Sola Scriptura or Prima Luther? What Did Martin Luther Really Believe About the Bible? Though he is known for his public sola Scriptura teaching, did Martin Luther’s writings about the Bible suggest he felt that prima Luther was his ultimate authority? Statements from him changing and/or discounting 18 books of the Bible are included. Do you really want to know the truth?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
Some Similarities and Differences Between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Continuing Church of God Both groups claim to be the original church, but both groups have differing ways to claim it. Both groups have some amazing similarities and some major differences. Do you know what they are?
The Malachy Prophecies and “Peter the Roman” An Irish bishop allegedly predicted something about 112 popes in the 12th century. Pope Benedict XVI was number 111. Francis would seem to be number 112–if he is that one–and if so, he is to reign until Rome is destroyed. May he be an antipope/final Antichrist?
Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare or Encourage Violence? Here are current and historical perspectives on a matter which show the beliefs of the true church on military participation. Is war proper for Christians? A related sermon would be: Christians, Violence, and Military Service.
What is the Origin of the Cross as a ‘Christian’ Symbol? Was the cross used as a venerated symbol by the early Church? A related YouTube video would be Origin of the Cross.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.

Kenya’s violent election

Thursday, October 26th, 2017


Kenya Protest (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

COGwriter

Many in Kenya are not pleased with its election:

October 26, 2017

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — At least one person was killed as Kenyan police on Thursday fired bullets and tear gas at stone-throwing protesters in some opposition areas during the repeat presidential election, reflecting bitter divisions in a country whose main opposition leader urged his followers to boycott the vote.

Violence erupted in Nairobi’s Kibera slum and Kisumu, a major city in the west where protesters set fires and blocked roads, and many polling stations didn’t open because of security concerns.

Police said one man shot during protests in Kisumu died at a hospital, while three other people were admitted with gunshot wounds. An Associated Press journalist saw ambulances transporting several people from the protests there.

One Kisumu primary school that saw huge lines of voters when it served as a polling station in the Aug. 8 election was closed this time around, its gates locked.

“We are not going to vote and we are not going to allow it,” said Olga Onyanga, an opposition supporter in Kisumu.

Voting proceeded in areas where President Uhuru Kenyatta has support, but fewer voters were turning out in comparison to the August election that the Supreme Court nullified because it found illegalities and irregularities in the election process.  https://www.apnews.com/5bd756280278490cbedb16b87f29e269/1-dead-as-Kenya-police,-protesters-clash-during-election

25 October 2017

Turnout appeared significantly low compared to August’s election, which witnessed nearly 80 percent turnout, according to local media.

“We should be seeing a very huge crowd lining up to vote, but on the contrary, today the polling station isn’t very busy,” a polling agent told DW in Nairobi.

Read more: ‘My withdrawal not to blame for confusion,’ Odinga tells DW

Although all the names of the candidates from the August vote remain on the ballot papers, the main opposition challenger, Raila Odinga has called for a “national resistance movement” to boycott the election.

“Do not participate in any way in the sham election,” Odinga told a rally in central Nairobi. “Convince your friends, neighbors and everyone else not to participate.” He called for a rerun election governed by a new, reformed electoral commission within 90 days.

‘My right and duty’

In Nairobi, one voter told DW: “It is my right and my duty to vote for the security of this nation.” Despite the opposition’s boycott, some of Kenyatta’s supporters braved the polling stations to cast their vote.

After casting his vote, Kenyatta said the country needed to separate ethnic loyalties from politics in order for the country to move forward.

“What we have is a problem of tribalism, and tribalism is an issue that we must continue to deal with and fight with as we continue to develop our country,” Kenyatta said. “We cannot achieve our goals if we continue to embark on tribalistic policies.” http://www.dw.com/en/kenya-repeats-presidential-election-with-opposition-boycott/a-41116206

Sadly, this protesting is not unexpected.

I have been personally following aspects of the Kenya election this year. Because of reports I regularly receive from a CCOG leader in Kenya (the latest one was this morning), I was aware that there has been a lot of discontent about the presidential election there.

That being said, violent protests are not the answer. Troubles sadly, however, have been prophesied (Mark 13:8).

Voting does not solve the problems of this world and is not something we in the Continuing Church of God participate in (a written article of related interest is titled: Should a Christian Vote?; we also have a video: Should Christians Vote?).

Jesus taught:

25 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)

17 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. (Luke 11:17)

The Bible teaches:

9 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Enough, O princes of Israel! Remove violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness (Ezekiel 45:9)

9…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:9-10)

As far as violence goes, the Bible shows that God is against violence and that destruction will come because of it:

23 ‘Make a chain,
For the land is filled with crimes of blood,
And the city is full of violence.
24 Therefore I will bring the worst of the Gentiles,
And they will possess their houses;
I will cause the pomp of the strong to cease,
And their holy places shall be defiled. (Ezekiel 7:23-24)

Violence is not the answer.

Christians need to also understand that their priorities have to do with the love of God:

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

Christians are not to look to this world and its politics to solve the problems facing society. Each individual should seek God, repent, be baptized, and live as a true Christian, while looking forward to the glorious hope of the resurrection and the coming Kingdom of God.

Additional note: One reason for my own interest in Kenya itself is that the Continuing Church of God has nearly 2000 members in Kenya. Plus, I have been to that nation twice–the last time was in February of this year (watch Nairobi Conference: All About Love).

Kenya is in my prayers and hopefully peace and truth will prevail soon in the aftermath of this election.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand. A video of related interest is titled Should Christians Vote?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans? A related online sermon is also available: Africa: Its biblical past, present, and future. A video of possible interest is: Nairobi Conference: All About Love.
CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo.
CCOGAFRICA.ORG This is a website targeted towards those in Africa.
Are You Being Called by God? Norman Shoaf wrote various points to consider.
Is God Calling You? Alfred E Carrozzo wrote this.
What Did Christ Mean  Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen? This article was by Raymond McNair.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.

Living as a Christian: How and Why? In what ways do Christians live differently than others. What about praying, fasting, tithing, holy days, and the world? There is also a YouTube video related to that also called: Living as a Christian: How and Why?
Crime can be stopped…here’s how! This was a booklet that was edited with some updates by Dr. Thiel. Here is a link to a related sermon: Crime and How it Will be Stopped!

Clues tying Gad to Switzerland?

Thursday, October 26th, 2017

COGwriter

Retired teacher Bert Otten, who was once part of the old WCG (he now considers himself Messianic, and not part of the Church of God), sent me a paper with his reasons why he feels that many in Switzerland are the descendants of the biblical tribe of Gad. He told me that I could edit and/or use what he sent in any way.

Here is some of his article, along with parts of his ten clues, with portions of the explanations edited out, mainly for space and relevancy considerations:

Looking at ‘prophetic clues’, one has to conclude, that a core of the tribe of Gad once found its way to Celtic Switzerland. This core passed on its characteristics and genes to the influx of others.

The Celtic tribe of the Helvetii established themselves on the Swiss plateau between the Jura and the Alps. About 80% of all Swiss live on this plateau. In the east the Germanic Alemanni mixed with the Helvetii and in the west the Helvetii were dominated by the Germanic Burgundians. In the east the Germanic tongue dominated and in the west the Burgundi adopted the language of the romanized Helvetic Celts, which would evolve into French. As Switzerland was part of the Roman Empire, the Helvetii had lost their Celtic tongue. I believe the German and French speaking Swiss are from the tribe of Gad. There are many ‘prophetic clues’ between Gad and the Swiss. The more fulfilled prophetic clues we find, the stronger our case. What follows is not historic proof, but proof by revelation.

1st Clue: Gad: fortune/happiness

When Leah saw that she had left off bearing, she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife. And Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, bare Jacob a son. And Leah said, FORTUNATE! [ בָּא גָד ], and she called his name GAD [ גָּד ] (Gen 30:9-11, ASV, American Standard Version; KJV throughout, unless mentioned otherwise).

And Leah said, It HAS GONE WELL for me: and she gave him the name Gad (Gen 30:11, BBE, Bible in Basic English).

Léa dit : Quel BONHEUR [HAPPINESS] ! Et elle l’appela du nom de Gad (Gen 30:11, LSG, Louis Segond).

There are two etymologies for the name Gad. In the first place it means fortune or happiness. There was a god of good fortune, whose name was Gad (Isa 65:11, Fortune in ASV; Gad in NKJV & Hebrew).

Leah said: Fortune (or Happiness) has come, and she named him Fortune (or Happiness) (Gad). Happiness or Fortune is of course more applicable to Switzerland than to any other country in the world. Whether it is because of cattle, cheese, clocks, watches, mercenaries, banks, international organisations, tourism or other things, the fact remains that Switzerland has been in the top ten of the most affluent countries over the past two centuries.

The ‘Swiss bank secrecy’ led to an all time record of amassed fortune in this country, Wikipedia: Currently an estimated ONE-THIRD of all worldwide funds held outside their country of origin (sometimes called “offshore” funds) are kept in Switzerland. In 2001, Swiss banks managed US$2.6 trillion … By 2007 this figure has risen to roughly US$2.7 trillion, a record. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banking_in_Switzerland

The Swiss Franc is the only modern currency covered for more than 100% of its value. One in every 25 Swiss says he’s a millionair (according to the Swiss magazine Cash, 19-11-2004).

Switzerland (with its mountains) has given many people happiness. Many went there because of health problems and Switzerland has been a favourite tourist attraction for the past 150 years.

2nd Clue: Gad, a troop, a gang, an army

And Leah said, A TROOP cometh: and she called his name Gad (Gen 30:11).

Genesis 49:19 Gad [gad], a TROOP [g’dud] shall OVERCOME [y’gudnu] him: but he shall OVERCOME [yagud] at the last.

גָּד, גְּדוּד יְגוּדֶנּוּ; וְהוּא, יָגֻד עָקֵב

(Genesis 49:19).

Gad, an ARMY will come against him, but he will come down on them in their flight (Gen 49:19, BBE).

And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over ARMED BEFORE the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them (Josh 4:12).

And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness MEN OF MIGHT, and MEN OF WAR fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of LIONS, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains; Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third … Machbanai the eleventh. These were of the sons of Gad, CAPTAINS of the HOST: one of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand. These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflown all his banks; and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east, and toward the west (1Chron 12:8-14).

The second etymological explanation of Gad is troop, gang or army. This explanation fits Jacob’s blessing better: Gad [gad], a TROOP [g’dud] shall OVERCOME [y’gudnu] him: but he shall OVERCOME [yagud] at the last (Gen 49:19). Four times a conjugation of Gad can be found in this verse: Gad g’dud j’gudnu, vèhu jagud akev.

Gad’s emblem is a tent or a group of tents. The town Machanaim was in the tribal area of Gad. Machanaim means double camp or two camps.

A large people’s army

This military aspect of Gad can be found back among the Swiss. The Swiss maintain an armed neutrality. That is why Switzerland has a large people’s army. One could say: Switzerland does not have an army, Switzerland is an army. Switzerland is one huge army camp. At the age of 20 Swiss men are adult, eligible to vote and go into the army. After a short training, soldiers will be regularly called up. The structure of the Swiss militia system stipulates that the soldiers keep their own personal equipment, including all personally assigned weapons, at home (until 2007 this also included ammunition). Because of this the Swiss army can be mobilised faster than any other army.The Swiss army is large, modern, well trained and well equipped. …

Switzerland has one of the biggest and most expensive armies of Europe. Per capita Switzerland has the biggest army in the world, after the State of Israel.

CH – Confoederatio Helvetica

Gad is a gang, a troop. This can also be found back in the structure of the state. The Swiss cantons (‘states’) grew from a confederacy into a federal state: Confoederatio Helvetica. Until 1848 each canton had its own army. Gad is a gang, a troop, of cantons.

3rd Clue: Gad, Mercenaries & (Swiss) Guards

And of Gad [Moses] said, “Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad couches LIKE A LION, HE TEARS THE ARM, AND THE CROWN of the head (Deut 33:20, RSV, Revised Standard Version).

And of the GADITES there separated themselves unto David … MEN OF MIGHT, and MEN OF WAR fit for the BATTLE, that could handle SHIELD and BUCKLER, whose faces were like the faces of lions … These were of the sons of Gad, CAPTAINS of the HOST: one of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand (IChron 12:8-14).

From Rabbinical literature: Because of his GREAT STRENGTH [Gad] was not presented by Joseph to Pharaoh, lest the latter should appoint him one of his GUARDS (Gen. R. xcv. 4) (Jewish Encyclopedia).

Acharit haYamim

Jacob´s prophecies concerning the tribes are written down in Genesis 49. Verse 1 states that these are for the last days, ´acharit haYamim´, which is normally translated, ´in the latter days´ in the prophets. Personally I consider the last 500 years before the return of Christ as ´the latter days´.

Gad [gad], a troop [g’dud] shall press [y’gudnu] upon him; But he shall press [yagud] upon their heel (Gen 49:19).

The Swiss fought the powerful Habsburgs succesfully like lions: Gad couches like a lion, he tears the arm, and the crown of the head [the Hapsburgs and Burgundians] (Dt 33:20).

Mercenaries – Reisläufen

According to the Jewish Encyclopedia (1906) the tribe of Gad was a militaristic tribe. The name Gad has two etymological meanings: ‘luck, fortune’ and ‘troop’. From 1500 to 1850 many Swis made their fortune by hiring themselves out in gangs or troops to European kings and their wars. In 350 years’ time about 2 million Swiss have served as mercenary.

Wikipedia: Swiss mercenaries

Wikipedia: Swiss mercenaries (Reisläufer) were valued throughout Late Medieval Europe for the power of their determined mass attack in deep columns with the pike and halberd. Hiring them was made even more attractive because entire ready-made Swiss mercenary contingents could be obtained by simply contracting with their local governments, the various Swiss cantons—the cantons had a form of militia system in which the soldiers were bound to serve and were trained and equipped to do so. Some Swiss also hired themselves out individually or in small bands.

… The young men who went off to fight, and sometimes die, in foreign service had several incentives—limited economic options in the still largely rural cantons; adventure; pride in the reputation of the Swiss as soldiers; and finally what military historian Sir Charles Oman describes as a pure love of combat and warfighting in and of itself, forged by two centuries of conflict [with the Hapsburgs].

Papal Guard

Kings and other princes acquired Swiss mercenaries since the late Middle Ages. These men were good soldiers and were loyal to their (paying) master and had no bond with the (often rebellious) population. A Swiss guard was acquired for the pope and the king of France. The House of Orange in the Netherlands had a Swiss guard too.The Swiss were loyal as long as they were paid. Today there is only one Swiss Guard left, the Papal Guard of Vatican City.

4th Clue: Gad lived in the mountains of Gilead

So he [Jacob] left in a hurry with all that belonged to him. He crossed the Euphrates River and went toward the MOUNTAINS of Gilead … Laban caught up with him in the MOUNTAINS of Gilead … When Laban finally caught up with Jacob, Jacob had put up his tents in the MOUNTAINS. So Laban and his relatives put up their tents in the MOUNTAINS of Gilead (Gen 31:21-25, GWV).

And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal … (1Sam 13:7).

Gilead [=tribe of Gad here] abode beyond Jordan … (Judg 5:17).

Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the MOUNTAINS … [to the MOUNTAINS of Gilead according to the NIV Study Bible] (Lk 21:21).

Gad lived in Gilead (Gil’ad)

Gad lived in the mountains of Gilead, the mountains of presentday Jordan. Seen from the level of the River Jordan the Gil’ad mountains are 1500m high. The tribe of Gad used to live in the highest part of the Israelite nation. Just like the Swiss live in the highest part of Europe. Switzerland is a landlocked country and so was the tribal area of Gad.

Wikipedia: Gilead (Arabic: جلعاد dǦalʻā ‎‎) is also used to refer to the mountainous land extending north and south of Jabbok.

Flee to the mountains …

In his endtime speech Jesus advised the inhabitants of Jerusalem to flee to the mountains: And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto (Lk 21:20-21).

The mountains intended here, are not the hills of Samaria and Judea, but rather the mountains of Gilead, the tribal area of Gad.

There is an ante-typical fulfilment of that flight to the mountains of Gilead. At the beginning of the Jewish Revolt (66-70) the Messianic Community of Jerusalem fled to Pella (in Gilead), according to the historian Eusebius of Caesarea.

Switzerland – mountainous country

Switzerland is well known for its mountains. The Alps in the south and southeast (highest point, Monte Rosa, 4634m) and the Jura mountains in the west (highest point, Mont Tendre, 1678m).

5th Clue: Gad: much cattle

Now the children of Reuben and the children of GAD had A VERY GREAT MULTITUDE OF CATTLE: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was A PLACE FOR CATTLE. The children of GAD and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses … saying, Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is A LAND FOR CATTLE, and thy servants have CATTLE: Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan (Num 32:1-5)

Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and ALL OUR CATTLE, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: But thy servants will pass over, every man armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith (Num 32:26-27).

The tribes of Ruben and Gad had much cattle and wanted to stay therefore in mountainous Gilead with its woods and meadows. Gad, Ruben and half of Manasseh ended up on the high plains of Jordan.

Switzerland – cattle

Switzerland is a country of mountains and valleys, and it often is very suited for cattle. After the summer the cattle is taken from the Alp meadows (transhumance). Some facts about Swiss cattle from:

https://en.agriculture.ch/knowledge/animals/ : A variety of productive livestock reside on the farms in Switzerland: cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, horses, donkeys, mules, fallow-deer, chicken, turkey, ducks, geese, rabbits and bees and for a couple of years now, even lamas, ostrich, bison and highland cattle. Swiss agriculture could hardly remain viable without the livestock industry. More than two-thirds of the turnover in agriculture is based on the production of milk, meat, eggs and other animals products.

From the same site Swiss farmers welcome you: Cattle account for almost half of the proceeds of Swiss agriculture. All in all, farmers keep a stock of somewhat less than 1.7 million cattle: dairy cows, heifers, calves, bulls, breeding bulls and oxen. Simmentaler and Brown cows are the most popular breeds in Switzerland. Due to better performance, the number of dairy cows has diminished drastically over the past years. Since the 1970’s, nurse and suckling cows have become more and more common in Switzerland.

Swiss cheese

Swiss cheeses are well-known. There is even a Wikipedia site with a list of Swiss cheeses.

Wikipedia: Switzerland is home to about 450 varieties of cheese. Cow’s milk is used in about 99 percent of the cheeses produced. The remaining share is made up of sheep milk and goat milk.

Cheese fondue

Wikipedia: The earliest known recipe for cheese fondue as we know it today comes from a 1699 book published in Zurich, under the name “Käss mit Wein zu kochen”, “to cook cheese with wine”. It calls for grated or cut-up cheese to be melted with wine, and for bread to be dipped in it. … The first known recipe for the modern cheese fondue under that name, with cheese and wine but no eggs, was published in 1875, and was already presented as a Swiss national dish. … Fondue was popularized as a Swiss national dish by the Swiss Cheese Union (Schweizerische Käseunion) in the 1930s as a way of increasing cheese consumption. … Fondue is now a symbol of Swiss unity.

Swiss Chocolate

Wikipedia: The 17th century saw the start of chocolate processed in Switzerland … In the second half of the 19th century Swiss Chocolate started to spread abroad. Closely linked to this was the invention of Milk Chocolate by Daniel Peter in Vevey and the invention of the conching by Rodolphe Lindt … From the 19th century until the First World War and throughout the Second World War the Swiss chocolate industry was very export-oriented … Today most Swiss chocolate is consumed by the Swiss themselves (54% in 2000), and Switzerland has the highest per capita rate of chocolate consumption worldwide (11.6 kg (25.6 lbs.) per capita per annum). In 2004 148,270 tonnes of chocolate were produced in Switzerland. 53% of this was exported.

6th Clue: Gad: place of refuge

And Moses gave inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families. And their border was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of Ammon … from MAHANAIM unto the border of Debir (Josh 13:24-26, KJ21).

And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, [3000] chariots, and 6000 horsemen, and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude … When the men of Israel saw that they were in straits (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, or crossed the fords of the Jordan to the LAND of GAD and GILEAD … (1Sam 13: 5-7, RSV).

But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to MAHANAIM; And made him king over Gilead … and over all Israel. … But the house of Judah followed David (2Sam 2:8-10).

So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people [of Judah] stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more. And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan … and they came to MAHANAIM (2Sam 2:28-29).

Then David came to MAHANAIM. And Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel (2Sam 17:24, RSV).

“Get thee hence and turn thee [Elijah] eastward, and HIDE thyself by the Brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan (1Kings 17:3, KJ21).

Because of its mountains, rocks, clefts, brooks and caves the land of Gad is a natural area to flee to. The town Mahanaim on the Jabbok was in the land of Gad, in Gilead.

At the war of Saul against the Philistines many hid here; Ishbosheth and Abner waged war against Joab and David from Mahanaim; when Absalom took over the throne, his father David fled to Mahanaim.

Elijah, a Gadite, hid by the brook Cherith – Wadi al-Yabis (the Wadi of Jabesh) – in the land of Gad. The Church of Jerusalem fled to Pella (also in the land of Gad) in 66 AD. The land of Gad is a perfect place of refuge (2 million Palestinians fled to Jordan in the 20th century).

Republic of Geneva

Geneva became an independant republic in the 16th century. Under John Calvin it became the centre of calvinism. Calvin fought for free access to Geneva for Protestant refugees. Geneva became a member of the Swiss Republic (Eidgenossenschaft) in 1815.

World War I

During World War I many pople fled to Switzerland. Wikipedia: During the fighting, Switzerland became a haven for many politicians, artists, pacifists, and thinkers. Bern, Zürich, and Geneva became centers of debate and discussion. In Zürich two very different anti-war groups would bring lasting changes to the world, the Bolsheviks and the Dadaists.

World War II

Switzerland’s refugee record during WW II is not faultless, yet many were able to flee to the Swiss Republic. Wikipedia: Over the course of the war, Switzerland interned 300,000 refugees. Of these, 104,000 were foreign troops … The rest were foreign civilians and were either interned or granted tolerance or residence permits by the cantonal authorities. Refugees were not allowed to hold jobs. Of the refugees, 60,000 were civilians escaping persecution by the Nazis. Of these, 26,000 to 27,000 were Jews. Between 10,000 and 24,000 Jewish civilian refugees were refused entry. Although Switzerland harboured more Jewish refugees than any other country, these refugees were refused entry on the grounds of already dwindling supplies. Of those refused entry, a Swiss government representative said, “Our little lifeboat is full.” At the beginning of the war, Switzerland had a Jewish population of between 18,000 and 28,000 and a total population of about 4 million. By the end of the war, there were over 115,000 refuge-seeking people of all categories in Switzerland, representing the maximum number of refugees at any one time.

Switzerland also acted as a refuge for Allied prisoners of war who escaped, including those from Oflag IV-C (Colditz).

7th Clue: Gad: uninvolved, neutral

And Moses said unto the children of GAD and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye SIT HERE [in Gilead]? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them? (Num 32:6-7).

GILEAD [=GAD] stayed beyond the Jordan … (Judg 5:17).

And he said unto the men of Succoth [town in GAD], “Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people who follow me, for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.” And the princes of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?” And Gideon said, “Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” And he went up thence to Penuel [another town in GAD] and spoke unto them likewise, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him. And he spoke also unto the men of Penuel, saying, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower” (Judg 8:5-9, KJ21).

They said, “What one is there of the tribes of Israel who didn’t come up to Yahweh to Mizpah?” Behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh Gilead [town in GAD] to the assembly. For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead there (Judg 21:8-9).

Gad – aloof, uninvolved

Gad or the towns in Gad often stayed uninvolved. To start with, Moses did not like that Gad and Reuben wanted to stay in Gilead. It was seen as a sign of rebellion or uninvolvedness. Later on in history the Transjordan tribes were the first to go in exile.

At the time of Deborah the Gadites did not send any men to help against Sisera (Judg 5:17). Gilead here means Gad, for Reuben and Manasseh (Machir) have already been mentioned.

When the judge Gideon asked the Gadites of Succoth and Penuel for bread and support against the Midianites, they refused and remained uninvolved, just as in the time of Deborah

When called upon, the Gadites of Jabesh in Gad (Gilead) did not send men either, to avenge the corruption of the Benjamites of Gibeah.

Switzerland – neutral

At the Congress of Vienna (1815) the five major European powers recognized and guaranteed Switzerland’s neutrality. From that time onward Switzerland and neutrality are closely tied. Neutrality is Switzerland’s starting point for foreign policy.

From Wikipedia, Switzerland during the World Wars: During both World War I and World War II, Switzerland managed to keep a stance of armed neutrality, and was not involved militarily. However, precisely because of its neutral status, Switzerland was of considerable interest to all parties involved, as the scene for diplomacy, espionage, commerce, and as a safe haven for refugees …

Following the declarations of war in late July 1914, on 1 August 1914 Switzerland mobilized its army; by August 7 the newly appointed general Ulrich Wille had about 220,000 men under his command. By August 11 Wille had deployed much of the army along the Jura border with France, with smaller units deployed along the eastern and southern borders …

During the war Switzerland accepted 68,000 British, French and German wounded prisoners of war for recovery in mountain resorts. The wounded were transferred from prisoner of war camps unable to cope with the number of wounded and sat out the war in Switzerland. The transfer was agreed between the warring powers …

At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Switzerland immediately began to mobilize for a possible invasion. The transition into wartime was smooth and caused less controversy than in 1914. The entire country was fully mobilized in only three days. Parliament quickly selected the 61 year-old career soldier Henri Guisan to be General. By 3 September 430,000 men of combat troops and 200,000 men of mandatory support services and 10,000 women of the female support service had been mobilized … Over the course of the war, detailed invasion plans were drawn up by the German military command, such as Operation Tannenbaum, but Switzerland was never attacked. Switzerland was able to remain independent through a combination of military deterrence, economic concessions to Germany, and good fortune …

Nazi Germany repeatedly violated Swiss airspace. During the Invasion of France, German aircraft violated Swiss airspace at least 197 times. In several air incidents, the Swiss shot down 11 Luftwaffe planes between 10 May 1940 and 17 June 1940. Germany protested diplomatically on 5 June 1940, and with a second note on 19 June 1940 which contained clear threats. Hitler was especially furious when he saw that German equipment was used to shoot down German pilots. He said they would respond “in another manner”. On 20 June 1940, the Swiss air force was ordered to stop intercepting planes violating Swiss airspace. Swiss fighters began instead to force intruding aircraft to land at Swiss airfields. Anti-aircraft units still operated. Later, Hitler and Hermann Göring sent saboteurs to destroy Swiss airfields. However, the sabotage team was captured by the Swiss army before it could cause any damage. Skirmishes between German and Swiss troops took place in the northern border of Switzerland throughout the war …

From 1943 Switzerland stopped American and British aircraft, mainly bombers, overflying Switzerland during World War II: six by Swiss air force fighters and nine by flak cannons, and 36 airmen were killed. On 1 October 1943 the first American bomber was shot near Bad Ragaz: Only three men survived. The officers were interned in Davos, airmen in Adelboden. The representative of the US military intelligence in Bern, US military attaché Barnwell Legge, instructed the soldiers not to flee, but the majority of the soldiers thought it was a diplomatic joke. Allied aircraft also intruded on Swiss airspace during the war, mostly Allied bombers returning from raids over Italy and Germany that had been damaged and whose crews preferred internment by the Swiss to becoming prisoners of war. Over a hundred Allied aircraft and their crews were interned …

8th Clue: Gad: reformers

Now ELIJAH the TISHBITE, of TISHBE in GILEAD, said to Ahab … (1Ki 17:1) [Tishbe, place in Gad].

And Elijah came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us; and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; and I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, and put no fire to it. And you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” … Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me”; and all the people came near to him … And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that thou, O LORD, art God, and that thou hast turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.” And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and KILLED them there (1Ki 18:21-40, RSV).

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and also how he had SLAIN all the prophets with the SWORD (1Ki 19:1).

Elijah, the reformer

The Bible mentions seven times that Elijah was a Tishbite form Tishbe. Tishbe was a small place in the tribal area of Gad, passed Jabesh, by the brook Cherith. Elijah was a prophet, a reformer, in the northern kingdom, in the House of Israel. It is noteworthy that he is the only prophet of whom we know that he had killed hundreds of false prophets by the sword. Preaching the Word of the LORD and handling the sword were both practiced by him. Elijah is the best-known Gadite of the Old Testament. …

Many flocked to Geneva for study and education, only to be sent out all over Europe to teach.

9th Clue: Gad: from hate to love

CH. 1 THE copy of the testament of Gad … And Joseph told our father that the sons of Zilpah and Bilhah were slaying the best of the flock and eating them against the judgement of Reuben and Judah … And regarding this matter I was wroth with Joseph until the day that he was sold … And the spirit of hatred was in me … I confess now my gin, my children, that oftentimes I wished to kill him, because I hated him from my heart. Moreover, I hated him yet more for his dreams … Beware, therefore, my children of hatred, for it worketh lawlessness even against the Lord Himself … For the spirit of hatred worketh together with Satan, through hastiness of spirits, in all things to men’s death; but the spirit of love worketh together with the law of God in long-suffering unto the salvation of men. Hatred, therefore, is evil, for it constantly mateth with lying, speaking against the truth; and it maketh small things to be great, and causeth the light to be darkness, and calleth the sweet bitter, and teacheth slander, and kindleth wrath, and stirreth up war, and violence and all covetousness; it filleth the heart with evils and devilish poison. These things, therefore, I say to you from experience, my children, that ye may drive forth hatred, which is of the devil, and cleave to the love of God. Righteousness casteth out hatred, humility destroyeth envy … These things I learnt at last, after I had repented concerning Joseph … CH. 2. AND now, my children, I exhort you, love ye each one his brother, and put away hatred from your hearts, love one another in deed, and in word, and in the inclination of the soul. For in the presence of my father I spake peaceably to Joseph; and when I had gone out, the spirit of hatred darkened my mind, and stirred up my soul to slay him. Love ye one another from the heart; and if a man sin against thee, speak peaceably to him, and in thy soul hold not guile; and if he repent and confess, forgive him (TESTAMENT of GAD).

The pseudo-epigraphic book Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs often gives us extra information about a certain patriarch and tribe. According to the Testament of Gad, Gad had been full of hatred towards Joseph. Gad warned his children against hatred, told of his experience and advised them to follow the way of love or charity.

The change from hatred to charity nicely reflects Swiss history. Nearly 2 million Swiss have fought 350 years in the mercenary system (ca. 1500 – 1850), until this was forbidden by law (1859 Constitution). The Swiss Henri Dunant founded the Red Cross, the colours of neutral Switzerland were turned around. The armycamps of Gad became in a way the refugee camps of the Red Cross, this time not for war, but for love and charity.

Henry Dunant – Red Cross

Wikipedia: Henry Dunant (Red Cross): Jean Henri Dunant (8 May 1828 – 30 October 1910), also known as Henry Dunant, was the founder of the Red Cross, and the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. The 1864 Geneva Convention was based on Dunant’s ideas. In 1901 he received the first Nobel Peace Prize together with Frédéric Passy, making Dunant the first Swiss Nobel laureate.

Dunant was a Swiss businessman and social activist. During a business trip in 1859, he was witness to the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in modern-day Italy. He recorded his memories and experiences in the book A Memory of Solferino which inspired the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 1863.

10th Clue: Gad: oath/covenant on the mountain

So [Jacob] fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the River, and set his face toward the MOUNTAIN of Gilead [Gad territory] … And [Laban] … pursued after him seven days’ journey; and he overtook him in the MOUNTAIN of Gilead [Gad territory] … And Laban came up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the MOUNTAIN: and Laban with his brethren encamped in the MOUNTAIN of Gilead [Gad territory] … And Laban answered … And now come, let us make a COVENANT, I and thou; and let it be for a WITNESS [Hebr.: ‘ed] between me and thee. And Jacob took a STONE, and set it up for a PILLAR. And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather STONES; and they took STONES, and made a HEAP: and they did eat there by the HEAP. And Laban called it Jegar-saha-dutha: but Jacob called it Gal’ed … And Laban said, This HEAP is WITNESS between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Gal’ed [Cf. Gil’ad] … And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this HEAP, and behold the PILLAR, which I have set betwixt me and thee. This HEAP be WITNESS, and the PILLAR be WITNESS, that I will not pass over this HEAP to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this HEAP and this PILLAR unto me, for harm. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob SWARE by the Fear of his father Isaac. And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the MOUNTAIN, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the MOUNTAIN (Genesis 31, ASV).

The tribe of Gad lived in the Mountains of Gilead, or more correct Gil’ad. The area got its name from the covenant that Jacob and Laban made on a mountain there, confirmed by oath. Gal means stone or heap of stones and Ed means witness. Hence Gal-Ed is witness stone or stone of witness. Gal’ed has the same Hebrew letters as Gil’ad (Gilead).

‘Eidgenossenschaft’ (Confederation)

Wikipedia: Eidgenossenschaft. Eidgenossenschaft (German pronunciation: [ˈaɪdɡəˌnɔsənʃaft]) is a German word meaning confederation. The term literally translates as “oath fellowship”. An Eidgenossenschaft is a confederacy of equal partners, which can be individuals or groups such as states, formed by a pact sealed by a solemn oath.

Swiss Eidgenossenschaft

Wikipedia: As a political term, it is used most often as a synonym for Switzerland, whose official German name is “Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft”, usually translated as Swiss Confederation. The oath referred to is the Rütlischwur, the three men recorded as taking the oath on August 1, 1291 historiographic tradition are the Three Confederates (Drei Eidgenossen). An Eidgenosse (literally: comrade by oath) is a member of an Eidgenossenschaft, and is an expression for “Swiss citizen”. The related adjective, eidgenössisch, officially translated as Swiss federal, is used in the name of organisations, for example the ‘Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule’, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. In a historical context, Eidgenossenschaft typically refers to the medieval Swiss Confederacy, which grew from the 13th to the 16th century in central Europe, persisted until 1798 and then evolved into a federal state in the 19th century.

The Swiss mountain state started with an oath by the three cantons Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden on a mountain meadow. The tribe of Gad lived in Gil’ad (Gilead), named after the oath or covenant between Laban and Jacob (Gal’ed), also performed on a mountain.

I should add that we have been to Switzerland at least twice (flew into Geneva on our way to the Feast of Tabernacles in Evian, France years ago; and earlier visited a COG family in Zurich).

The Bible records various promises made to the tribes of Israel in Genesis 48, Genesis 49, and Deuteronomy 33. Many seem to have overlooked those, but those prophecies have been, and will be fulfilled.

Notice the following prophecy from the NKJV:

19 “Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him,
But he shall triumph at last. (Genesis 49:19)

It is my view that the descendants of Gad, specifically those in Switzerland, will apparently have to temporarily accept European Beast domination. Basically part of some type of European Union.

Knowing where various peoples have come from, helps us better understand how the Bible teaches that various ones will be affected by end time events that are still to come to pass.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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?
The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy? What is the origin of this in France? What is prophesied to happen to them? A two-part sermon related to history and prophecy is available online: The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben and France and Prophecy.
Ten clues tying Belgium and Luxembourg with the tribe of Asher Who did some in Belgium and Luxembourg descend from?
Ten clues tying Zebulun with the Dutch Who did some in the Netherlands descend from?

European journalists for censorship; US government surveillance of Americans; YouTube sued

Wednesday, October 25th, 2017

COGwriter

The European press is pushing for censorship:

October 25, 2017

“Respect Words: Ethical Journalism Against Hate Speech” is a collaborative project that has been undertaken by media organizations in eight European countries – Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain. Supported by the Rights and Citizenship Programme of the European Union, it seeks, according to its website, to help journalists, in this era of growing “Islamophobia,” to “rethink” the way they address “issues related to migratory processes, ethnic and religious minorities.” It sounds benign enough: “rethink.” But do not kid yourself: when these EU-funded activists call for “rethinking,” what they are really doing is endorsing self-censorship.

In September, “Respect Words” issued a 39-page document entitled Reporting on Migration & Minorities: Approach and Guidelines. Media outlets, it instructs, “should not give time or space to extremist views simply for the sake of ‘showing the other side.'” But which views count as “extremist”? The report does not say – not explicitly, anyway. “Sensationalist or overly simplistic reporting on migration,” we read, “can enflame existing societal prejudices” and thus “endanger migrants’ safety.” Again, what counts as “sensationalist” or “overly simplistic”? That is not spelled out, either. Nor, we are told, should we associate “terms such as ‘Muslim’ or ‘Islam’… with particular acts,” because to do that is to “stigmatize.” What exactly does this mean? That when a man shouts “Allahu Akbar” after having gunned down, run over with a truck, or blown to bits dozens of innocent pedestrians or concertgoers, we are supposed to ignore that little detail?

Or perhaps we should entirely avoid covering such actions? After all, the document exhorts us not to write too much about “sensationalist incidents involving migrants,” as “[v]iolent individuals are found within every large group of people.” If, however, we do feel compelled to cover such incidents, we must never cease to recall that the “root causes” of these incidents “often have nothing to do with a person’s ethnicity or religious affiliation.” What, then, are those root causes? The report advises us that they include “colonialism, racism, [and] general social inequality.” Do not forget, as well, that there is “no structural connection between migration and terrorism.” https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11210/europe-journalists-political-correctness

Journalists used to pretend to be objective. And while no one should advocate hating people, discouraging journalists to report actual news is not the solution.

This is NOT limited to Europe.

In my book, Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse, I listed 20 ways in which Donald Trump was apocalyptic. Here is item 12 from that list:

12. Donald Trump has made some statements suggesting he is not fully in agreement with the right of free speech. A “famine” of the word is prophesied (Amos 8:11) and it is possible that he could authorize steps that could lead to that.

Yet, it is not just Donald Trump that is a threat to freedom of speech and the press. There are many in the USA, in both of the major political parties, that do not truly endorse those freedoms.

Canada also has major issues with the Bible (see Canada celebrates its 150th, but pushes internet and biblical censorship). Even the press, including sources like The Guardian of the UK are pushing for restrictions (watch Orwell’s 1984 by 2024?).

But getting back to the USA, a reader sent me a link to the following:

October 25, 2017

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government has broadened an interpretation of which citizens can be subject to physical or digital surveillance to include “homegrown violent extremists,” according to official documents seen by Reuters. …

t was not clear what practical effect the expanded definition might have on how the U.S. government gathers intelligence. One of the Air Force slides described the updated interpretation as among several “key changes.”

‘CLOAK OF DARKNESS’

However, some former U.S. national security officials, who generally support giving agents more counterterrorism tools but declined to be quoted, said the change appeared to be a minor adjustment that was unlikely to significantly impact intelligence gathering.

Some privacy and civil liberties advocates who have seen the training slides disagreed, saying they were alarmed by the change because it could increase the number of U.S. citizens who can be monitored under an executive order that lacks sufficient oversight.

“What happens under 12333 takes place under a cloak of darkness,” said Sarah St. Vincent, a surveillance researcher with Human Rights Watch who first obtained the documents. “We have enormous programs potentially affecting people in the United States and abroad, and we would never know about these changes” without the documents, she said.

The National Security Act, a federal law adopted 70 years ago, states that Congress must be kept informed about significant intelligence activities. But the law leaves the interpretation of that to the executive branch.

The updated interpretation was motivated by recognition that some people who may pose a security threat do not have specific ties to a group such as Islamic State or Boko Haram, Mahar at the Defense Department said.

“The internet and social media has made it easier for terrorist groups to radicalize followers without establishing direct contact,” Mahar said.

“We felt that we needed the flexibility to target those individuals,” he said. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-surveillance-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-widens-surveillance-to-include-homegrown-violent-extremists-documents-idUSKBN1CU1H6

We are seeing more organized opposition to ideas that the mainstream media does not approve.

Notice the following from the Bible:

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
And bend their bows to shoot their arrows — bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who will see them?”
6 They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep. (Psalms 64:1-6)

Generally speaking, government people think that they can get away with surveillance and actions against those that hold to views they do not care for.

This is worsening worldwide. On October 2, 2016, we put up a video titled Internet Control, Famine of the Word, and 666. Private firms and governments are gaining monitoring things and will one day cause more problems.

As far as  private US firms like YouTube goes, notice the following:

August 1, 2017

Today, YouTube clarified how it plans to handle videos that don’t violate any of its policies but still contain offensive religious and supremacist content: …

In a blog post today, YouTube provided a better sense of what that stance entails. Now, when YouTube decides that a flagged video doesn’t break policy but still contains “controversial religious or supremacist content,” the video will be put in a “limited state.” Here, the video will exist in a sort of limbo where it won’t be recommended or monetized … It also won’t include suggested videos or allow comments or likes. …

alternative media figures and conspiracy theorists have been complaining for weeks that YouTube is already manipulating the algorithms to limit their reach … And this announcement will likely only add to their resentment of a platform that they rely upon to reach their audiences. …

YouTube also announced today that it has added to the list of NGOs it is working with to help determine what content should be hidden. …

YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The update also touted the success of the machine-learning-driven removal of content, claiming that over the last month, YouTube algorithms have found 75 percent of policy-violating extremist content before a human was able to flag the videos. http://gizmodo.com/youtube-has-a-new-naughty-corner-for-controversial-reli-1797429910

So, YouTube is also using some type of machine to look for what it calls “extremist content.” Presumably that means that people who are serious about their religion–like those who actually believe the Bible and promote such a view–are considered to be extremist.

Please understand that some in the USA believe that ALL who believe in the millennial reign of Jesus are religious extremists and potential terrorists. Also, the message of the good news of the Kingdom of God is also considered to be religious extremism by many. Freedom of religious speech is threatened on many fronts.

What happens when government officials broaden their view of ‘threats’? Well, they will add additional pressures to places like YouTube, Google, Facebook, etc. Others have noticed this problem–Dennis Prager has decided to sue to try to stop it:

October 25, 2017

A conservative columnist, author and talk-radio host whose columns appear on the pages of WND has filed a lawsuit against YouTube and its owner, Google, for imposing “a political gag mechanism” on his work.

The announcement of the lawsuit on behalf of Dennis Prager was made by Liberty Counsel.

YouTube declined to respond to a request from WND for comment.

The complaint expresses outrage that the online giants “use their restricted mode filtering not to protect younger or sensitive viewers from ‘inappropriate’ video content, but as a political gag mechanism to silence PragerU.” …

“YouTube has admitted that the PragerU videos have been censored by individual human review and not accidentally censored by an algorithm. While PragerU videos have been censored, the same subject matters posted by liberal groups have not been censored,” Liberty Counsel explained.

The complaint explains that identical videos, uploaded by others, are allowed, while that same content uploaded by PragerU is restricted.

“The intent of the lawsuit is ‘to stop Google/YouTube from unlawfully censoring its educational videos and discriminating against its right to freedom of speech solely because of PragerU’s political identity and viewpoint as a non-profit that espouses conservative views on current and historical events,” Liberty Counsel said.

“Google/YouTube have been discriminating and censoring, and continue to discriminate and censor educational videos uploaded or posted to the YouTube platform through the arbitrary and capricious use of ‘restricted mode’ and ‘demonetization’ viewer restriction filters that purportedly are intended to prohibit or limit access of ‘inappropriate’ content to prospective public viewers based on certain viewer characteristics, including the age of the viewer,” the organization explained.

The complaint alleges violations of a number of laws and even includes a free speech claim, because while they are private companies and generally not limited by constitutional provisions on speech, California is one of the few states where courts have ruled even private shopping malls must abide by state constitutional free speech provisions.

 “There are many instances of political bias by Google and YouTube, which have repeatedly censored conservative or Judeo-Christian viewpoints,” said Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel. “Even Alan Dershowitz was censored in a PragerU video because his subject matter contained a pro-Israel message.

“The fact that YouTube eventually removed the block after public outcry does not undo the pervasive problem of censorship. The PragerU suit will not be the last suit on this issue. Unless the monopolistic social media super highways act more responsibly to allow competing viewpoints, there will be a flood of litigation and perhaps even federal regulation to address these abuses,” said Staver. http://www.wnd.com/2017/10/youtube-sued-for-political-gag-on-conservative-columnist/

Perhaps Dennis Prager will, at least partially, prevail.

Yet, restrictions will get worse. Notice what the prophet Amos was inspired to record:

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

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

Amos is referring to something as dramatic as having truth being scarce. In the 21st century that logically would point to it being taken off the internet. In the 21st century, the internet is accessed by people in every country, and thus some type of internet restriction/suspension/site removal is coming–more than what we have seen thus far.

We are getting closer to this time. More and more are starting to see that there are plans to censor speech from the internet.

That is part of why we in the Continuing Church of God are preparing for the ‘short work’ (Romans 9:28) and the coming ‘famine of the word.’

The Bible teaches that a totalitarian European state dominated by Germany will rise up (see also Germany in Biblical Prophecy)–and the USA is assisting in this process (see also The Snowden Leaks are Leading to the Destruction of the USA).

Yet, there is good news as the Kingdom of God will come and replace the Beast’s system (Revelation 17:14) that we see being put together today.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Orwell’s 1984 by 2024? In 1949, the late George Orwell wrote a disturbing book about a totalitarian government called “nineteen-eighty four.” Despite laws that are supposed to protect freedom of speech and religion, we are seeing governments taking steps consistent with those that George Orwell warned against. We are also seeing this in the media, academia, and in private companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. With the advent of technology, totalitarianism beyond what Orwell wrote is possible. Does the Bible teach the coming a totalitarian state similar to George Orwell’s? What about the Antichrist and 666? Will things get worse? What is the solution? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and more in this video.
Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work.
Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert W. Armstrong Change that Priority for the Work? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert W. Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and Herbert W. Armstrong expect from lower level leaders? A related sermon is available titled Priority of the Philadelphia Work.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
The Spanish Inquisition and Early Protestant Persecutions Was the Church of Rome really responsible for this? What happened?
Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? Was the millennium (sometimes called chiliasm) taught by early Christians? Who condemned it? Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near? Two related sermons are available Millennial Utopia and The Millennium.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. Here are links to three related sermons: The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: Alemania en la profecía bíblic. Here are links to two English language sermon videos Germany in Bible Prophecy and The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy.
Are You Being Called by God? Norman Shoaf wrote various points to consider.
Is God Calling You? Alfred E Carrozzo wrote this.
What Did Christ Mean – Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen? This article was by Raymond McNair.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
When You Sin: Do You Really Repent? This is an article by Charles F. Hunting. A related sermon is Confess to God and truly repent.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2017, 2018, or 2019? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2016 o 2017? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon videos: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives and Can the Great Tribulation begin before 2020? A shorter video is: Will the Great Tribulation Start in 2017?
Are You Being Called by God? Norman Shoaf wrote various points to consider.
Is God Calling You? Alfred E Carrozzo wrote this.
What Did Christ Mean – Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen? This article was by Raymond McNair.
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots. They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 17 Laodicean Errors in Prophecy.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. A video of possible interest may be Will Will USA Spying Help the Beast Power?
Leading the Final Phase of the Work Matthew 24:14 teaches “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come ” will be fulfilled and RCG is not the group doing this. Who is leading the final phase of the work? What did Herbert Armstrong and the old WCG teach about that and about prophets? Does Bob Thiel meet the criteria that the Bible and the old WCG set? What is the proof? What has the Continuing Church of God been doing? This is a sermonette length video.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
Internet Control, Famine of the Word, and 666 On October 1, 2016, the USA officially relinquished control over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), despite objections from certain political leaders and former military officials. Might this lead to more censorship, imposition on non-biblical ‘community standards,’ and loss of first amendment rights? Could this transfer of control have any prophetic ramifications? Will the internet be a factor in the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28 and the coming ‘famine of the word’ that the Prophet Amos warned about? Will internet control be something that the 666 power will have? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters and more in this video.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy past Daniel 11:39? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin?
The Final Phase of the Work What is the final phase of the work? Who will lead it? Do you have the courage to support it? Here is a related YouTube video titled The Final Phase of the Work. The written article has been translated into Spanish La Fase Final de la Obra.
Donald Trump in Prophecy Prophecy, Donald Trump? Are there prophecies that Donald Trump may fulfill? Are there any prophecies that he has already helped fulfill? Could a Donald Trump presidency be apocalyptic? A related video is titled: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic?
Trump Presidency Magic 8 Ball or Bible Prophecy? BBC reported that one might as well use a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’ to try to predict what will happen in the remaining time of Donald Trump’s presidency. What is a ‘Magic Eight-Ball’? Dr. Thiel not only explains that, but also briefly goes over 10 biblically-based warnings he wrote would happen if Donald Trump were elected that have already began to come to pass. He also goes over something he wrote back in 2008 that the Trump presidency is also helping lead to fulfillment. Should you trust Bible prophecy or not? Dr. Thiel says that Bible prophecy can be trusted, despite the view of skeptics and others that either overlook or despise the Bible. This is a video.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse This 188 page book is for people truly interested in prophecies related to Donald Trump and the United States, including learning about several that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon for $12.99 from the following link: Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse.
Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-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 Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse-Kindle Edition.