Church of God News

Painting of 1625 Titled ‘Feast of Esther’

COGwriter

The Jewish Feast of Purim 2018 begins at sunset on March 20th (some Jews begin celebrations and preparations earlier)

Here is some information which comes from the Book of Esther:

1 Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king’s command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people. 3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king’s work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai became increasingly prominent. 5 Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them. (Esther 9:1-5)

20 And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, 21 to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, 22 as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. 23 So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them, 24 because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them; 25 but when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

26 So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would join them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and according to the prescribed time, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.

29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter about Purim. 30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews, to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, 31 to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had prescribed for them, and as they had decreed for themselves and their descendants concerning matters of their fasting and lamenting. 32 So the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book. (Esther 9:20-32)

Note: Since Purim is a national holiday and is not listed as a holy day in Leviticus 23 or elsewhere, it is not a biblically required observation for those in the Church of God. As Esther 9:27-28 points out it was a Jewish invention for Jews.

But interestingly, some believe that Jesus (who was physically a Jew) kept it:

Wieseler, Hug, Meyer Lance, Godet, Weiss, Farrar, Watkins, think that the Feast of Purim, celebrated on the 15th of Adar (or March) (2 Macc. 15:36), in commemoration of the deliverance of the people from the evil intention of Haman (Esther 9:21, etc.), was that national fast and feast which Jesus thus honoured. Purim was not one of the divinely appointed festivals, but it is also stated that the Lord undoubtedly attended one of the national and recently appointed festivals, that of Dedication (John 10:22). …

The claims of the Purim feast turn principally on the fact that, since it occurred, about a month before the Passover, on the 14th or 15th of Adar, this visit might have taken place in the course of the four months referred to in John 4:35, and therefore between the sojourn in Samaria and the Passover of John 6:4, which Jesus diet not attend. …

It must be admitted that the majority of modern critics assume the Feast of Purim to be that intended (Pulpit Commentary on John 5:1).

A feast of the Jews.—The writer does not tell us what feast this was, and we must be content to remain without certain knowledge. There is, perhaps, no Jewish feast with which it has not been identified, and it has been even proclaimed confidently that it must have been the Day of Atonement! (Caspari, Chron. and Geogr., Introd., Eng. Trans., p. 130). Our reading is to be regarded as the better one, though not a few authorities insert the article, and interpret “the Feast” to mean the Feast of Passover.The time-limits are John 4:35, which was in Tebeth (January), and John 6:4, which bring us to the next Passover in Nisan (April), i.e., an interval of four months, the year being an intercalary one with the month VeAdar (and Adar) added, or, as we should say, with two months of March. The only feast which falls in this interval is the Feast of Purim, and it is with this that the best modern opinion identifies the feast of our text. It was kept on the 14th of Adar (March), in commemoration of the deliverance of the Jews from the plots of Haman, and took its name from the lots cast by him (Esther 3:7; Esther 9:24 et seq.). (Elliot’s Commentary on John 5:1).

That being said, some have wondered about the Book of Esther in light of the current events in Iran and Israel. Iran and Israel were actually allies during the time of the Shah of Iran. And interestingly that in the time of Esther it was only a minority of the Persian empire that wanted to eliminate the Jews. It is possible that a regime change in Iran (which could be brought about by many means, including attacks by Israel) could change the relationship between the Jews and Persians (Iranians) again.

Interestingly, the connection between the original Purim and today has not been lost by all. Notice the following:

JERUSALEM, Israel – On the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar, Israel celebrates the festival of Purim, a holiday that’s been observed for at least 2,400 years. This year, the festivities begin Wednesday evening and in walled cities like Jerusalem go on for two days.

“And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.” (Esther 9:20-22)

In Israel, these same traditions are observed today. It’s a joyous holiday and it’s observed joyfully. The story of how God used Queen Esther to deliver the Jews scattered throughout 120 provinces still strengthens Israelis today.

Most know of Iran’s frequent declarations to bring an end to Israel. Hate speech and similar threats against America are often heard from Iranian leaders, making one wonder what motivated the U.S.-led negotiations with Iran on its nuclear program.

What’s the tie with the 5th century story? Iran is modern-day Persia, the same place where Haman, the king’s chancellor, plotted to kill every Jewish man, woman and child in the empire’s provinces.

Haman described the Jews as being different from all the rest of the people, keeping to their own traditions. But what really motivated his evil schemes was a diabolical hatred of a Jew who refused to bow down to him. Mordechai, the queen’s cousin, refused to obey the king’s edict to bow before the chancellor and it infuriated him – so much so that he devised a plot to annihilate the Jews and convinced the king to sanction it.

That threat is pretty much as real today as it was then. And it seems a little ironic that it’s the same country.

The anti-Semitic spirit driving the desire to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth is alive and well today. http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2016/march/purim-2016

Iran and Israel, It’s Purim All Over Again

Some 2,000 years ago, the Jewish people, Exiled in the vast empire of Persia faced a plot engineered by the king’s chief minister to annihilate them…Today the Jewish People in their historical homeland, the Jewish State of Israel, are once again being openly threatened by an evil Persian Empire of Terror known today as Iran. Today’s Hamans – Iranian “Supreme Leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hizbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, to name just a few, are no less committed to the destruction of the Jewish People as were Haman and his ten sons of old. They openly and clearly call for Israel’s destruction and make no secret of the nuclear weapons, the type that can wipe out the Jews in one day…

Among the cohorts to today’s Iranian Hamans are the scientists working feverishly to enrich sufficient uranium to make a nuclear bomb. One such scientist was Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan Behdast assassinated in early January. Should anyone doubt Mostafa’s personal commitment to the cause of mass murder of Jews, his wife proudly clarified that telling point.

Earlier this month Iran’s FARS News Agency (FNA) reported that Fatemeh Bolouri Kashani, wife of the aforementioned assassinated Iranian scientist who was a senior official at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, told the FNA: “Mostafa’s ultimate goal was the annihilation of Israel.”…

The primary lesson of Purim for today’s Jewish leaders is that just as in the original Purim story the Jews had to ultimately defend themselves so too today the Jews cannot pin their national survival on vague promises of support as the Iranian nuclear clock continues to tick.

As Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu heads off to Washington to meet with US President Barack Obama on the week of the Purim holiday, he will no doubt have in mind the lesson of Purim: the only ones who can be relied on to defend the Jews are the Jews themselves.

While there is a lot of truth in the above, the only one who could be relied upon to defend the Jews is God Almighty–yet He only promised to do that if they obeyed Him. And while I do not believe that Bible prophecy allows for Iran to eliminate the nation of Israel, the reality is that if there is a war between Iran and Israel, Israel will suffer much more losses than the ancient nation did during the time of Esther.

Notice something from 2014 by U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

Too often the past is, truly, prologue, and…– March 15th — is the start of Purim, a holiday that marks the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient empire of Persia – now Iran. As the story goes, a plot had been hatched to destroy all Jews in the Persian empire, but Mordecai and his adopted daughter, Esther, foiled the plot and the day of deliverance became a day of celebration and feasting – Purim.

The parallel is all too obvious when it comes to the situation today in the Middle East, and the protection of the Israeli people from the threat posed by a nuclear Iran. Let us pray that – if the time should come – together we will be like Mordecai and Esther, we shall foil Iran’s nuclear plot, and deliver the Jewish people again as well as protect the world from a nuclear threat. http://www.njjewishnews.com/article/21925/menendez-at-aipac-iran-cannot-be-trusted-to-live-up-to-its-word#.Uxisoc5FCKQ

Another news story had the following:

Think Again: Purim in contemporary guise

‎Jerusalem Post

Prominent Sunni theologian Yusuf al- Qaradawi, hailed as a returning hero in Tahrir Square, calls upon his followers to “kill the Jews wherever you find them.” The Hamas Charter is equally explicit that not a single Jew should be left alive in Palestine. And most ominous, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei describes Israel just like the Nazis described the Jewish people – as a “cancer.” Cancers must be eradicated.… This Purim, we will celebrate the Jewish people’s acceptance of the Torah anew, this time without Divine compulsion. Those who had been so far away as to partake of Ahasuerus’s banquet, which celebrated the failure to rebuild the Temple, rediscovered their common mission and the unity of Sinai – “as one man, with one heart.” Only then were they delivered from enemies dedicated to “destroy, kill and exterminate” every Jew.

It seems that the above article is hinting that the Jews need to repent and live by the Bible. I agree.

Here is something from 2015 and 2016:

March 1, 2015

Netanyahu is doing all he can to keep the spotlight on the Iranian threat… Netanyahu referred to the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim, which commemorates the biblical Esther acting as envoy to a powerful king on behalf of the Jews.

“I am leaving for Washington on a fateful, even historic mission,” he said. “I feel I am the emissary of all Israelis, even those who disagree with me — of the entire Jewish people.” …

Netanyahu has yet to come up with a plan that does not ultimately lead to a decision to take military action to wipe out Iran’s facilities. http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-netanyahu-us-20150302-story.html#page=1

January 17, 2016

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel warned on Sunday that his nation would ensure that Tehran never obtains nuclear weapons, while also taking credit for keeping Iran from already having them.

Mr. Netanyahu has been an open and vocal opponent of the deal with Iran. Speaking at the start of the regular weekly cabinet meeting, Mr. Netanyahu said, “Israel’s policy has been and will remain exactly what it has been: not to allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.”

He also said that the recent accord would strengthen and embolden Iran’s leaders, since the lifting of most sanctions would free up money for Tehran to arm and support the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Shiite militias and Israel’s enemies in the region, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

“What is clear is that Iran will now have more resources to dedicate to their terrorism and aggression in the region and in the world, and Israel is prepared to deal with any threat,” he said. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/18/world/middleeast/netanyahu-asserts-israel-will-be-irans-watchdog.html

Israel’s Prime Minister believes he has little choice but to plan to attack or somehow try to neutralize Iran. Syria is one of Iran’s few reliable allies. Iran and Syria may well team up against Israel–and this could include using biological and chemical weapons against Israel. This could be something that Syria may regret (cf. Isaiah 17:1).

Here is something from the Bible:

8 He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the House of the Forest; 9 You also saw the damage to the city of David, That it was great; And you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. 10 You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, And the houses you broke down To fortify the wall. 11 You also made a reservoir between the two walls For the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, Nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.

12 And in that day the Lord God of hosts Called for weeping and for mourning,For baldness and for girding with sackcloth. 13 But instead, joy and gladness, Slaying oxen and killing sheep, Eating meat and drinking wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

14 Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of hosts,”Surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, Even to your death,” says the Lord God of hosts. (Isaiah 22:1-14 NKJV)

Elam seems to be a reference to at least some in Iran. Kir is of interest as it has several possibilities. One is that the Bible tells that after Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria took over Damascus, he moved Syrians to Kir. While this does not mean that Kir must (or must only) be a reference to Syria, the fact that Syria is an ally of Iran is interesting. Some believe Kir is an area in the south of Iran, while others suggest closer to the Black Sea.

The Bible is clear that the tiny nation called Israel (modern Judah) is at risk and will face military problems. Iran may well cause them.

While Israel may be happy that Donald Trump is in office, this does not mean that Iran will never attack.

Perhaps it should be mentioned that the President of Iran believes that he was elected because of the influence of an Islamic leader that he and others refer to as the Imam Mahdi. This leader is supposed to unite Islam and root out problems within its religion. But Iran is not quite ready for that yet, though its leadership believes that the Iman Mahdi has made his presence known (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: World Order About to Collapse, Mahdi Behind it) and it hopes that he will become publicly known soon (see Iran’s Leader Preparing for ‘Armageddon’ and the Imam Mahdi).

For various reasons, the Imam Mahdi sounds a lot like the final King of the South that the Bible foretells (Daniel 11:40-43). And he may be part of a deal that will affect the USA and its Anglo-allies (Psalm 83:4-8). And this will not be good.

Yet, the final King of the South will not be Iran (Iran is basically east of Jerusalem), but apparently Arabic (which includes those of Egypt, Libya, etc.). Yet, Iran’s actions and rhetoric (as well as rhetoric from the USA, Syria, and Israel) continue to stir up the situation in the Middle East. The leadership in Iran may wish to re-read the Book of Esther.

The situation in the Middle East is tense. Regional war involving Israel, Iran, Syria, and others this year is a real possibility. Damascus, the capital of Syria, could become a ruinous heap (Isaiah 17:1). But this does not mean that the USA and Israel would get off without troubles and cost. Just like Afghanistan was a major problem for the old Soviet Union, Iran could be a major drain on the USA (and at minimum would raise terrorist issues).

It may take a regional war in the Middle East and perhaps terrorist attacks on USA-related targets for the apparent peace deal of Daniel 9:27 to take place. The situation in Syria, Iran, and Israel will change–and military conflict may well be one of those changes.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Iran in Prophecy Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? There is also a YouTube video titled Iran in Prophecy. Here is a related video Iran In Prophecy.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
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 is also a related YouTube video you can watch titled Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated.
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? Is a Donald Trump presidency proving to be apocalyptic? Two related videos are available: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic? and Donald Trump’s Prophetic Presidency.
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.

Homes flooded in Mozambique from Cyclone Ida (Wikipedia)

COGwriter

There has been a massively deadly storm in Mozambique:

March 18, 2019

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — More than 1,000 people were feared dead in Mozambique four days after a cyclone slammed into the country, submerging entire villages and leaving bodies floating in the floodwaters, the nation’s president said.

“It is a real disaster of great proportions,” President Filipe Nyusi said.

Cyclone Idai could prove to be the deadliest storm in generations to hit the impoverished southeast African country of 30 million people.

It hit Beira, an Indian Ocean port city of a half-million people, late Thursday and then moved inland to Zimbabwe and Malawi with strong winds and heavy rain. But it took days for the scope of the disaster to come into focus in Mozambique,

Speaking on state Radio Mozambique, Nyusi said that while the official death toll stood at 84, “It appears that we can register more than 1,000 deaths.”U.N. agencies and the Red Cross helped rush emergency food and medicine by helicopter to the stricken countries. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/over-1000-feared-dead-after-cyclone-slams-into-mozambique/ar-BBUUsCl?li=BBnbfcL

The U.N. reported last week that 122 people had died in Mozambique and Malawi prior to Cyclone Ida’s landfall as a result of flooding caused by the tropical cyclone’s weather system. 03/17/19 https://www.npr.org/2019/03/17/704271642/tropical-cyclone-leaves-ruin-across-mozambique-malawi-and-zimbabwe

My prayers go out for those affected.

While we in the Continuing Church of God have many congregants in Mozambique (and I have personally met with a couple of the CCOG leaders from there) and even more in Malawi, we have not received any reports of loss of life.

This storm, however, did also affect property in Malawi and we sent funds for some rebuilding there earlier today.

Weather is not as random as most seem to want to believe.

As regular readers of this page are aware, I have repeatedly warned of weather problems coming. Back in 2009, in my book, 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect, I wrote that the following was about to happen:

Odd weather patterns result in food shortages and natural disasters.

Matthew 24:7

The world is actually in a berserk transition, as the real age of peace is not yet here. It may be a period of chaos. It is the beginning of sorrows.

Matthew 24:8

Unprecedented and odd weather problems should serve as a wake-up call.

The Bible shows:

30 God…commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30)

And weather-problems are one way that God uses to urge people to repent (cf. Haggai 2:17; Amos 4:7-12).

Are you paying attention to those messages?

Weather problems can hit close to anyone’s home.

Some items of interest may include the following:

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.
Congregations of the Continuing Church of God This is a listing of congregations and groups of the Continuing Church of God around the world.
Weather Blessings and Sorrows Are weather problems a warning? What should be done? What does the Bible teach about weather? What about floods, droughts, heat, earthquakes, tornadoes, and solar storms? Here is a related YouTube video Does God Use Weather? A related item in the Spanish language would be Bendiciones y maldiciones del clima.
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.
Do Christians Sin? This is an article by Herbert W. Armstrong.
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? A YouTube video is available titled Air Pollution, Autism, and Prophecy.
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? 2027 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? 2019, 2020, or 2021? 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 2018 o 2019? ¿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 and newer video is: Might the Great Tribulation start in 2019?

EU nations with UK in orange (Furfur)

COGwriter

Brexit tensions remain:

Britain – Hard Exit or Cancellation of BREXIT

March 18, 2019

After months of political deadlock, the House of Commons voted by 413-202 last week to ask the EU to delay Britain’s exit. Prime Minister May has simply refused to listen to advice and keeps hoping that Parliament will surrender to her.  …

The EU is fighting for its survival. To see Britain crumble would bring them great joy and they could use this against Italy or anyone one else who dares to think about leaving. Indeed, in recent days there has been a chorus of warnings coming from the key EU figures. They are kicking Britain when it is politically impotent and they are demanding that any British request for an extension of the two-year negotiating period must come with a “credible” plan for next steps. This appears to be deliberately trying to force Britain to capitulate and remains in the EU as a second rate member at best. …

Actually, under the law, Britain will leave the EU on March 29th, with or without a deal. What the Eu is now gambling on is that Britain will be unable to come up with any plan that they would accept so they hope the stark choice between a hard-exit and an outright cancelation of Brexit altogether will mean the EU wins with the latter. https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/britain/britain-hard-exit-or-cancellation-of-brexit/

March 18, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – The pound fell towards $1.32 on Monday as Prime Minister Theresa May tried to salvage her Brexit deal by winning over doubtful lawmakers with threats and promises to avoid any move to oust her.

May is expected to hold a third vote on her Brexit deal on Tuesday or Wednesday, after it was heavily defeated twice in rebellions by Eurosceptic Conservative lawmakers and by members of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist party.

If it is approved, she will ask the European Union for a short extension to the March 29 exit date to get everything in place for Brexit. If it doesn’t pass, there is already talk of a fourth vote, though May could have to ask for a longer extension.

She suffered a further setback on Monday when Boris Johnson, the pro-Brexit former foreign secretary, refused to back her agreement unless she secured changes to the Irish backstop — designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland.

Another Brexit-supporting British lawmaker said a “lot of people” in parliament still remained opposed to May’s European Union withdrawal deal. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-sterling-idUKKCN1QZ0VH

There may be a problem with having a vote this week:

18 March 2019

Speaker John Bercow has thrown the UK’s Brexit plans into further confusion by ruling out another vote on the PM’s deal unless MPs are given a new motion.

In a surprise ruling, he said he would not allow a third “meaningful vote” in the coming days on “substantially the same” motion as MPs rejected last week.

With 11 days to go before the UK is due to leave the EU, ministers have warned of a looming “constitutional crisis”.

The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 29 March.

Theresa May has negotiated the withdrawal deal with the EU but it must also be agreed by MPs.

They have voted against it twice, and the government has been considering a third attempt to get it through Parliament.

Mr Bercow cited a convention dating back to 1604 that a defeated motion could not be brought back in the same form during the course of a parliamentary session. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47614074

Brexit may be delayed. Some hope it will be denied. Some just want the UK out of the EU.

Either way, this will not end well for the UK.

Consider that the UK was probably the biggest impediment to the goal of a European superstate and army. And that is a goal that many in the EU truly have.

Partially because of Donald Trump, many in Europe have taken some steps and agreed to take more responsibility for defense (e.g. PESCO: EU’s alternative to NATO? and Europe moving towards its own army ‘Europe may soon produce its own Trumps’ and With PESCO, EU entering a ‘New Era’: An era that will NOT end well for the USA, Canada, or the UK).

And since the Brexit vote, Europe put together a structure for a pan-European army called PESCO (PESCO is an acronym for Permanent Structured Cooperation). We put together the following video related to that:

15:25

PESCO and a Great European Army

In November 2018, French President Macron called for a “true European army” because of China, Russia, and the USA. Some others in Europe have echoed that sentiment. On November 9, 2018, US President Donald Trump called that an insult, but the next day said that the USA wanted “a very strong Europe.” Emmanuel Macron referred to Donald Trump as “my friend” and indicated a desire to strengthen Europe’s military spending. In December 2017, 25 European nations agreed to be part of a military alliance called PESCO. Europe also has NATO and IEI. Will Europe end up with “a great army”? Has Donald Trump’s announcement to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty gotten some to say that Europe must rebel against the USA? Is the idea of a United States of Europe and a European army a “paranoid fantasy” or a biblical reality? Will the USA regret Europe becoming a stronger military power? Will the USA be betrayed by “friends” such as its continental European allies? Does the Bible teach any or all of this? Are there connections to the Beast of Revelation or the King of the North of Daniel 11? Dr. Thiel addresses these matters in this video.

Here is a link to the sermonette video: PESCO and a Great European Army.

Those who feared Europe wanted to become a ‘superstate’ are correct.

Even if the UK were to not leave the EU, a European army will exist (see also Daniel 11:25).

As regular readers of this COGwriter Church of God News page are aware, I have been warning for some time that Northern Ireland would be a major issue with Brexit, and it clearly is, as Boris Johnson also reminded everyone today.

With both Ireland and the UK in the EU, the border between the Republic of Ireland and the UK’s Northern Ireland has been open for some time. For various reasons, the EU and UK would prefer it to remain open–but many in the UK are upset that the EU essentially thinks that Northern Ireland will have to function a lot like it is still in the EU for that border to be open.

The UK is essentially opposed to that as it considers that would be a loss of sovereignty.

Well, one day there will no longer be a “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” (that is the official name of the UK).

Notice a few prophetic warnings that are consistent with that:

24 ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. 25 For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. 26 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. (Leviticus 18:24-29)

23 ‘And if by these things you are not reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, 24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins. 25 And I will bring a sword against you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant; when you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you; and you shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. (Leviticus 26:23-25)

58 “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, 59 then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues — great and prolonged plagues — and serious and prolonged sicknesses. 60 Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. 61 Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed. 62 You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God. 63 And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess. (Deuteronomy 28:58-63)

These territorial losses will include Northern Ireland and Gibraltar, as well as England, Wales, and Scotland. Yes, one day, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be no more.

Even if there is a ‘hard’ (no deal with the EU) or ‘soft’ (May’s proposal) Brexit. or even if there is NO Brexit, I expect that the Republic of Ireland (or at least an Irish leader) will have control over Northern Ireland and probably other lands as well within the next decade or so.

Notice what Article 3 the Irish Constitution states:

It is the firm will of the Irish Nation, in harmony and friendship, to unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identities and traditions, recognising that a united Ireland shall be brought about only by peaceful means with the consent of a majority of the people, democratically expressed, in both jurisdictions in the island. Until then, the laws enacted by the Parliament established by this Constitution shall have the like area and extent of application as the laws enacted by the Parliament that existed immediately before the coming into operation of this Constitution.

While the democratic way is one way, if that does not work, military pressure will accomplish this (cf. Daniel 8:24-25, 11:39).

Related to that, the Continuing Church of God put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

Brexit and the fate of Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, the UK, and the USA

On April 29, 2017, 27 of the nations of the European Union agreed to certain guidelines for the negotiations with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which gave its notice to leave on March 29, 2017. These guidelines are contrary to what the UK wants. Does the EU intend the UK to pay a price for leaving the EU? What does Spain want? What does the Republic of Ireland want? Will Northern Ireland and Gibraltar eventually fall under European control? Will the UK and USA be conquered? What does the Bible teach? Dr. Thiel answer these questions and more.

Ukraine in light yellow with Crimea in Red

COGwriter

Last week, additional sanctions were announced by the US, Canada, and Europe related to Russia and Crimea (see VOA: Russia Slams ‘Hypocrisy’ of New Western Sanctions). Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Crimea celebrating its annexation:

Putin in Crimea as Russia Marks Five Years Since Annexation

March 18, 2019

SIMFEROPOL — Russian flags flew across Crimea’s main city Simferopol on Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of the peninsula’s annexation from Ukraine, a move condemned by the West but celebrated by most Russians.

President Vladimir Putin was to take part in celebrations in the Black Sea peninsula, launching a new power station and meeting members of the public, the Kremlin said.

Moscow took over Crimea in March 2014 after months of tensions with Kiev following the ouster of a pro-Russian leader.

Russia said it was righting a historic wrong — Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had transferred Crimea to Ukrainian control in 1954 — and the move resulted in a major boost to Putin’s popularity.

But the takeover was denounced by Kiev and the West as an annexation and, along with Moscow’s support for separatist forces in Ukraine’s east, has led to wide-ranging sanctions against Russia.

In Russia, March 18 has been officially proclaimed the “Day of Crimea’s Reunification with Russia” and celebrated with events across the country. In Crimea, it is a public holiday.

Authorities set up a stage on Simferopol’s main square for the celebrations. Posters that read “Five years of Crimea returning to its native land” hung on shop windows and public transport.

“There is a feeling of newness, of independence, of freedom,” retired teacher Valentina Dorozhko told AFP. She said she felt “reborn” when Russia took over.

Crimean Marina Tishchenko said that if the peninsula held a referendum today, “even more people would vote to join Russia”. https://www.voanews.com/a/putin-in-crimea-as-russia-marks-five-years-since-annexation/4835656.html

On March 18, 2014, Putin signed a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia (https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-to-visit-crimea-to-mark-five-years-since-peninsula-rejoined-russia/29826559.html).

Various ones in Ukraine want Crimea back, as the following shows:

18 March 2019

Five years after Russia’s occupation of the Ukrainian territory of Crimea began, President Petro Poroshenko has promised Kyiv will regain control of the peninsula if he is re-elected.

Speaking in an interview on March 17 with TV channel Ukraina, Poroshenko said that “Crimea will be returned to Ukraine, without haggling and behind-the-scenes agreements.”

“We will do everything for it to happen as soon as possible, immediately after the presidential election,” he said, adding that he doesn’t rule out the possibility that Ukraine will also see progress in the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission to the Russian-occupied parts of the Donbas – also right after the election.

The first round of Ukraine’s presidential election will be on March 31. There will likely be a run-off second round between the top two candidates from the first round on April 21.

Previously, Poroshenko has been more cautious about Ukraine’s prospect for regaining control of Crimea. After his election in May 2014, he claimed that Ukraine would get the territory back through international courts and by virtue of improvements in Ukraine: economic growth, democracy, and a visa-free regime with the European Union.

Back in February 2015 he said that Ukraine would certainly get Crimea back, but he would not promise that this would happen quickly and easily.

Poroshenko’s promise of a prompt regaining of Crimea is reminiscent of his 2014 election vow to end the war in the Donbas quickly.

Five years on, as he runs for a second term, the war is still going on. The death toll is at least 13,000 people, according to UN estimates.

Moreover, the president is now repeating previously unfulfilled promises as well. https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/poroshenko-promises-to-regain-crimea-after-election.html

Back in 2013 there were protests against the democratically elected government in Ukraine. Instead of backing Ukraine’s elected president, the USA backed a coup. A few months later, when Ukraine’s coup government took over in early 2014, one of the first things it did was to pass a bill (that ended up not being signed into law) to make Russian a second-class language in Ukraine. That incensed those in Crimea and various ones in the eastern portion of Ukraine, as many in those regions speak Russian as their native language.

So in 2014, Crimea voted to leave Ukraine and become part of Russia. Russia later accepted the territory, which it had long wanted. Crimea has been a fairly poor region that felt neglected and discriminated against by the western portion of Ukraine.

Many of those in Crimea (other than the Tartars) believed that they would be better off with Russia who wanted them than Kiev who claims to want to keep them, but apparently had not shown them enough signs that it would truly be able to help them.

The USA would not accept the vote by the Crimeans primarily because it seems to want to stop Russia from expanding. The USA pushed for international sanctions, many of which still remain, in an effort to hope Russia would release Crimea to Ukraine.

The USA’s position seemed to be based mainly on politics as opposed to its professed belief in democracy.

Are there any prophetic implications to what has been happening?

There looks to be, if we can identify the ancient identities of some modern people.

As it turns out, certain records of history indicate that some of the ‘Medes’ dwell in Russia as well as in Ukraine and other parts of the east–like Crimea itself.

In the first century, Josephus wrote:

Japhet, the son of Noah, had seven sons: they inhabited so, that, beginning at the mountains Taurus and Amanus, they proceeded along Asia…they called the nations by their own names…Now as to Javan and Madai, the sons of Japhet; from Madai came the Madeans, who are called Medes, by the Greeks… Thobel founded the Thobelites, who are now called Iberes; and the Mosocheni were founded by Mosoch…And so many were the countries that had the children of Japhet for their inhabitants. (Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. VI, 1).

As far as the Medes go, they were once in a land called Media, which was near Persia (modern Iran). The Bible uses the terms “Medes” and “Persians” together five times in the NKJV (e.g. Daniel 5:28). The ancient empire of Media contained Persia, but did not go all the way to the land now known as Ukraine.

The Median empire, around 600 B.C. stretched west from the southern center of the Black Sea (Crimea would have been north of that empire, but would have been accessible by a boat that would head straight north in the western portion) and went east almost to India. But there were also various migrations of peoples, which is why it is believed that at least some made it into the area of Ukraine and/or Crimea (and likely Russia itself as well as some of the nearby states).There were also descendants of Israel who were living in the land of the Medes at the time of Jesus. Notice the following account from the New Testament, circa 31 A.D.:

8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs — we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God. (Acts 2:8-11)

So, there were contacts from the descendants of Israel and the Medes in New Testament times.

The Medes and the Russians seem to have shared some history. But it is not clear to many. Notice the following:

The history of the Medes is dark and unknown. — Dmitri Ivanovich Ilovaisky …

In linguistic terms, the Russians are identified as East Slavs, that is, speakers of East Slavic, which eventually evolved into three distinct languages: Greater Russian, often simply called Russian; Ukrainian; and White Russian, or Belorussian (Belarus).

(Riasanovsky NV. Russian Identities : A Historical Survey: A Historical Survey. Oxford University Press, 2005, p.7)

The above is at the beginning of the first chapter in the book cited on the origins of the Russians and Ukrainians. The author, a professor of history emeritus from UC Berkeley.

It should be noted that part of the reason that Dmitri Ivanovich Ilovaisky and others are unclear about the connection is because of multiple migrations or peoples with differing names.

As far as names go, the historian Herodotus claimed that there were six different tribes/families of Medes. Herodotus identified the tribes of the Medes as Busae, Parataceni/Paratakeni, Struchates/Strukhates, Arizanti, Budii, and the Magi (Herodotus: A New and Literal Version with a Geographical and General Index by Henry Cary. Histories, book 1, chapter 101. Translated by Henry Cary. Harper, 1896. Original from the University of Virginia, Digitized Jan 23, 2009, p. 46).

Here is one report about the six tribes:

• The Busae group is thought to derive from the Persian term buza meaning indigenous (i.e. not Iranian). Whether this was based on an originally Iranian term, or their own name, is unknown.

• The second group is called the Paraetaceni, or Parae-tak-(eni) in Persian, and denotes nomadic inhabitants of the mountains of Paraetacene. This name recalls the Scythian Para-la-ti, the people of Kolaxis, believed to represent the common people in general, but whom Herodotus calls the “Royal Scythians”.

• The third group is called Stru­khat.

• The fourth group is the Arizanti, whose name is derived from the words Arya (noble), and Zantu (tribe, clan).

• The fifth group were the Budii, found also among the Black Sea Scythians as Budi-ni. Buddha was of the tribe Budha, the Saka (eastern Scythian) form of the name.

• The sixth tribe were the Magi…They were a hereditary caste of priests of the Zurvanism religion that evolved out of Zoroastrianism. The name Magi implies a link with the Sumerians, who called their language Emegir, over time becoming simplified to Magi. Hungarian tradition also traces pre-European Magyar (Hungarian) ancestry back to the Magi. In time, the Sumerian-influenced religion of the Magi was suppressed in favour of a more purely Iranian form of Zoroastrianism, itself evolved from its somewhat dualist beginnings into the monotheistic faith that it is today (also known as Parsi-ism). (History of the Medes. http://www.taroscopes.com/miscellanous-pages/medes.html viewed 08/31/14)

As far as the Russians and Ukrainians go, the late Dr. Herman Hoeh wrote:

Origin of Word “Russia”

What is the origin of the word “Russian” — the “Rosh” of Ezekiel 38:2 (when properly translated)?
The INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPAEDIA gives the answer. Here, under the article “Rosh”, we find that a vast area of the Mesopotamian Valley was called “the land of Rashu!” The word “Russ” or “Rosh” means blonde. And in ancient Mesopotamia lived the blonde children of Keturah and Abraham mentioned in Genesis 25:1-6. They founded the Kingdom of Mitanni, named after Midian and Medan.
In modern times the name “Russ” was first applied to Russia because of the blond people of White Russia who live next to the people of Meshech and Tubal. (See ENCY. BRIT., art. “Russia”.) These blonds are quite different from the Great Russians. The White Russians are related to the Asshurim of North Germany and to the Letushim and other Abrahamic tribes along the Baltic. They are the main body of the people of Medan and Midian who proceeded north into Russia centuries ago! Herodotus mentions that the “Matienians” from the land of Rosh were associated with the people of Meshech and Tubal! (Thalia, 94.) And Pliny the Roman natural historian speaks of the “Matiani” as moving into Russia through the Caucasus (BK. VI, sec. xviii of NATURAL HISTORY). That is the true origin of the word “Russian”.And Little Russians, too!

Not all Russians are Great Russians and White Russians. Some are called “Little Russians”. They live — in the Ukraine and the eastern parts of Romania and Poland. They are often called Ukrainians or Ruthenians. There are about 50 million of them! Who are these people?
The MEDES! The sons of Madai! Here is the proof!
In Genesis 10:2 we have Madai, the son of Japheth listed. Now check in an exhaustive concordance. You will find the original Hebrew word translated into English as “Mede” or “Median” is always Madai. Madai is the father of the Medes. The Medes used to be associated with the Persians. You will read about them especially in the book of Daniel. But by the time of Nehemiah the Persians were much more prominent. Today there are no Medes left in Persia. The Medes are gone. Certainly a great branch of the human family could not suddenly vanish from the earth!
Indeed they did not. Throughout South Russia — in the Ukraine — four centuries before Christ the Medes were beginning to settle. Here is what the historian Herodotus wrote of these people: “They say that they are a colony of the Medes. How they can have been a colony of the Medes I cannot compehend; but anything may happen in course of time” (Terpsichore, 9).
Herodotus, like many moderns, was prone to believe that the people who inhabited Mesopotamia and the “Bible lands” must be living there today. But they are not. The Arabs have taken their place!
The fact that the Medes are the Little Russians today is further amplified by Pliny in his NATURAL HISTORY, bk. VI, sec. xi. He mentions “the river Don, where the inhabitants are… said to be descended from the Medes”!
Media is pictured along with Elam in Eastern Europe as attacking Western Europe in World War III (Isaiah 21:2). (Hoeh H. The TRUTH about the Race Question! Plain Truth, July 1957)

It should also be noted that some others do not believe that Russia or Moscow are close enough to the words in the Bible that some believe they came from. But, the Russian people did descend from one of the sons of Noah and the lands that they possess are mentioned in certain scriptures.

Some of the Russians themselves appear to have been from the Medes. Notice the following account:

But how are we to explain the name Russia? The old-fashioned view was to derive the word from the Rhoxolani. This, however, has long been abandoned. One thing is certain, namely, that these Rhoxolani were of Oriental descent, a Medic or Iranic tribe. They disappear from history, having, like so many other tribes — as, for instance, the Pechenegs and the Khozars—been swallowed up by the huge waves of immigration which overflowed the country (Morfill WR. Russia. Published 1890 by T.F. Unwin, London).

There are many disputes among academics as to who derived from whom, thus it is not completely clear, for example, that the Rhoxolani were Medes who went to Russia. The Bible has several end time prophecies concerning the Medes (Isaiah 13:17-19) and the kings of the Medes (Jeremiah 51:11, 28-29) that involve military action.  Various ones in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Russia, and elsewhere are part of the descendants of the Medes, as likely are some in Moldova.

However, if the Rhoxolani were Medes, then it would seem to be consistent with certain biblical prophecies.

Though Russia continues to indicate it wants closer cooperation with Europe, the time will come that those that are  ‘kings of the Medes’ will determine that the power in Europe is not one that they wish to be part of.

Notice that the Bible teaches that the ‘kings of the Medes’ will one day turn against the final end time Babylon power, which will be based in Europe:

1 The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw…

17 “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not regard silver;
And as for gold, they will not delight in it.
18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces,
And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
Their eye will not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. (Isaiah 13:1, 17-19)

11 Make the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
The Lord has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it is the vengeance of the Lord,
The vengeance for His temple. (Jeremiah 51:11)

This will ultimately not end well for Europe, but is not to occur until nearly 3 1/2 years after the start of the Great Tribulation.  Notice that this will involve a people from the north (Russia is the only major power north of much of Europe):

50:41 “Behold, a people shall come from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance;
They are cruel and shall not show mercy.
Their voice shall roar like the sea;
They shall ride on horses,
Set in array, like a man for the battle,
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.

43 “The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands grow feeble;
Anguish has taken hold of him,
Pangs as of a woman in childbirth…”(Jeremiah 50:41-43).

8 O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed,
Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!
9 Happy the one who takes and dashes
Your little ones against the rock! (Psalms 137:8-9)

It remains my view that Crimea and at least parts of eastern Ukraine will ultimately align with Russia.

International sanctions will not stop biblical prophecies from being fulfilled.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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?
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?
Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day? Is Ezekiel 38 about to be fulfilled? A related video is available titled Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now? Another could be Russia, Iran, Syria, & the Bible (Code).
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?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
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? 2027 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? 2019, 2020, or 2021? 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 2018 o 2019? ¿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 and newer video is: Might the Great Tribulation start in 2019?
The Times of the Gentiles Has there been more than one time of the Gentiles? Are we in it now or in the time of Anglo-America? What will the final time of the Gentiles be like? A related sermon is available and is titled: The Times of the Gentiles.
Armageddon Who is involved and when will this gathering happen? Here is also a video from Dr. Thiel, from Tel Megiddo in Israel: Armageddon. Other videos include: Armageddon Will it come on Trump’s watch?, Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy, Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome, Is China paving roads to Armageddon?, and Jordan, Petra, and Armageddon.

Capybara (Photo by Karelj)

COGwriter

We are currently in the middle of a Greco-Roman adopted time called Lent.

Because of this period, a rodent was once declared to be a fish. A reader sent me the following:

Giant Rodents A Lenten Dish

Sun Sentinel, Florida – excerpt…

About 400 years ago, Spanish missionaries discovered that some indigenous communities in Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil relied for much of their protein on the meat of the capybara, an animal that no European had seen before.

The missionaries reported back to Rome that they had encountered an animal that was hairy and scaly and spent more of its time in the water than on land. They asked whether their new converts could continue to eat capybara at Lent, a time when Catholics traditionally avoid meat.

With no clear idea of what the capybara was or looked like and concerned a ban would lead to indigenous communities starving during Lent, the Vatican immediately ruled that the semi-aquatic mammal was in fact a fish.

The tradition continues to this day, and eating capybara remains part of the Lenten tradition for many families, despite the fact that the giant rodent tastes like a cross between fish and lamb. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2003-03-18/news/0303170443_1_rodents-lenten-capybara

“In 1784 and after several attempts at obtaining a Vatican license, a Papal Bull (decree) allowed the consumption of capybara flesh during Lent…” – Capybara: Biology, Use and Conservation of an Exceptional Neotropical Species, by José Roberto Moreira, Katia Maria P.M.B., Springer Aug 15, 2012, page 307

So, without seeing the rodent, the Vatican declared it a fish. Perhaps it would have come to a different decision if it saw the capybara as it has fur and toes.

I pointed this out to my family earlier this year, when we actually saw cabybaras in a zoo. They were shocked that anyone could think these rodents were fish.

Despite now knowing that cabybaras are not fish, the Vatican has apparently not rescinded allowing the capybara from being eaten during its Lenten period. Here is some additional information about that rodent being a Lenten dish:

In Days Before Easter, Venezuelans Tuck Into Rodent-Related Delicacy

New York Sun – March 24, 2005 excerpt…

Though it’s hard to imagine eating a boiled, oversize rat, salted capybara is considered a delicacy in Venezuela, where thousands this week are enjoying the meat of the rodent during Holy Week. Centuries ago, the Vatican ruled that these furry cousins of rats and mice native to South America’s plains qualify as fish – paving the way for capybara feasts during Lent, when red meat is prohibited. http://www.nysun.com/foreign/in-days-before-easter-venezuelans-tuck-into/11063/

Of course, Lent is not a biblically-enjoined period, so having unusual declarations about it should not be unexpected.

Actually, according to the Bible, rodents, like the capybara are not to be eaten at all (cf. Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14). Early Christians also did not eat biblically-unclean animals (see The New Testament Church and Unclean Meats). However, in Alexandria, Egypt and elsewhere, compromisers began to conclude that the biblical injunctions against unclean animals was no longer meant to be literally understood. But many did not go along with this in Europe or Asia Minor.

So, how did consumption of unclean meat become common?

Well, in addition to the writings and positions of some compromisers, the answer might lie in a Catholic document titled Liber Pontificalis.

According to the Liber Pontificalis, the position on unclean meat consumption was changed by Bishop Eleutherius in the late second century:

He also decreed that no kind of food in common use should be rejected especially by the Christian faithful, inasmuch as God created it; provided it was a rational food and fit for human kind (Book of the Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) 2nd edition. Translation by Raymond Davis. Liverpool University Press – Translated Texts for Historians, Liverpool, 2001, p.17).

The Catholic Encyclopedia states:

The “Liber Pontificalis” ascribes to Pope Eleutherius a decree that no kind of food should be despised by Christians (Et hoc iterum firmavit ut nulla esca a Christians repudiaretur, maxime fidelibus, quod Deus creavit, quæ tamen rationalis et humana est).

It should be noted that Roman bishops were not called Popes that early (that did not happen until the late fourth century). Anyway, according to Lopes book The Popes, Eleutherius was bishop of Rome from 175-189 AD. This book (which I purchased at the Vatican itself) states this about Eleutherius:

He dispensed with the obligations of Christians to follow dietary laws of Judaic origin (page 5).

The above book should have said the obligations of biblical origin as the dietary restrictions began with God and not Jews (the distinction between clean and unclean animals was known by at least Noah’s time, since God so declared in Genesis 7:2-3). Perhaps it needs to be stated that no one called of God in the Old Testament or New Testament is ever shown to have consumed unclean meat.

Notice that the Church of Rome claims that it was because of its Bishop in the late second century that Christians were allowed to eat biblically-unclean animals. The Protestant world, who now states other reasons, has gone along with the Roman declaration.

Yet, faithful Christians, such as those in the Continuing Church of God have continued to avoid the consumption of unclean animals as the Bible teaches (which is also consistent with the faithful Christians throughout recorded history). ‘Nazarene’ Christians faced the death penalty from followers of Emperor Constantine’s Greco-Roman faith in the fourth century when they refused to eat pork.

So, when is a rodent a fish? When compromise occurs.

Why do people keep Lent? Because they, too, have accepted compromises that have affected those in the Greco-Roman faiths throughout history. Lent, itself, was the result of compromise.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Is Lent a Christian Holiday? When did it originate? What about Ash Wednesday? If you observe them, do you know why? Here is an old, by somewhat related, article in the Spanish language by Dr. Hoeh: ¿Por Qué Se Observa la Cuaresma? Here is a link to a related sermon: Lent, Ash Wednesday, Carnaval, and Christianity?
Mardi Gras: The Devil’s Carnival? Is Mardi Gras Christian? Do you know that in Bolivia the carnival/Mardi Gras time is part of a celebration known as the Devil’s Carnival? Where did it come from? There is also a related YouTube video Mardi Gras & Carnaval: Are they for Christians?
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?
The New Testament Church and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats.
What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. Is telling the truth about the early church citing Catholic accepted sources anti-Catholic? This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church. There is also a YouTube sermon on the subject titled Church of God or Church of Rome: What Do Catholic Scholars Admit About Early Church History?
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Who were the Nazarene Christians? What did they believe? Should 21st century Christians be modern Nazarenes? Is there a group that exists now that traces its history through the Nazarenes and holds the same beliefs today? Here is a link to a related video sermon Nazarene Christians: Were the early Christians “Nazarenes”?
Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?
Apostolic Succession What really happened? Did structure and beliefs change? Are many of the widely-held current understandings of this even possible? Did you know that Catholic scholars really do not believe that several of the claimed “apostolic sees” of the Orthodox have apostolic succession–despite the fact that the current pontiff himself seems to wish to ignore this view? Is there actually a true church that has ties to any of the apostles that is not part of the Catholic or Orthodox churches? Read this article if you truly are interested in the truth on this matter! Here is a version in the Spanish language La sucesión apostólica. ¿Ocurrió en Roma, Alejandría, Constantinopla, Antioquía, Jerusalén o Asia Menor?
Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries? Did you know that many in the second and third centuries felt that there were two major, and separate, professing Christian groups in the second century, but that those in the majority churches tend to now blend the groups together and claim “saints” from both? “Saints” that condemn some of their current beliefs. Who are the two groups?
What Was the Original Apostles’ Creed? What is the Nicene Creed? Did the original apostles write a creed? When was the first creed written? Are the creeds commonly used by the Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholics original?
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 videoed in Vatican City is Church of Rome, Mithras, and Isis?
Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.
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.
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. A related sermon is Which Spring Days should Christians observe?

COGwriter

Breaking Israel News reported the following:

US State Dept. Drops “Occupied Territory” From Golan Description

March 17, 2019

In a significant first, the U.S. State Department’s 2018 annual human rights report released on Wednesday referred to the Golan Heights as “Israeli-controlled and not “Israeli-occupied”. Not surprisingly, the United Nations Human Rights Council is getting ready to respond with a resolution

A separate section of the 2018 report focused on the West Bank and Gaza Strip but did not refer to those territories as being “occupied” or under “occupation” as it did in the previous report released every year since 2011.

The Golan Heights were captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Six Day War and annexed in 1981. …

Last Monday, Senator Lindsey Graham toured the Golan Heights with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and declared that the region was a hsitorical part of Israel. https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/124715/us-state-dept-drops-occupied-territory-from-golan-description/

That United Nation’s resolution is set to be debated tomorrow to condemn Israel for being in the Golan Heights:

U.N. Human Rights Council set to condemn Israel for Golan ‘occupation’

Israel’s decision “to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan was null and void and without international legal effect,” and the 1981 resolution “demanded that Israel rescind forthwith its decision,” the new resolution states.

It is one of five anti-Israel resolutions the UNHRC is set to debate on Monday and will vote on toward the end of the week.

The council annually condemns Israel’s annexation of the Golan, which it captured from Syria in 1967 during the Six Day War.

But this year’s vote comes in the midst of a renewed Israeli push to sway the United States to recognize that annexation. Political pundits have speculated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would like US President Donald Trump to do so in advance of the April 9 election as a way of ensuring Netanyahu’s success at the ballot box.

It’s a move that has the support of prominent US Republicans. …

On Wednesday, the US State Department stopped calling the Golan “occupied” territory and instead referred to it as Israeli “controlled.”

The linguistic change was brought to light when Washington published its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018. 03/15/19 https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/UN-Human-Rights-Council-set-to-condemn-occupation-of-Golan-583433

Earlier this month, the Syrian government threatened to attack Israel if it did not leave the Golan Heights (see Damascus To Become A “Ruinous Heap”?: Syria Threatens To Attack The Golan Heights And Israel Prepares For War).

Back in 2017, it was reported here that a “Golan Liberation Army” plans to takeover part of Israel:

Spokesman For Iran-Backed Iraqi Shi’ite Militia In Syria: ‘We Have Established The Golan Liberation Army’

Hashem Al-Mousawi, the spokesman for the Iran-backed Iraqi Shi’ite militia Al-Nujaba, gave an interview to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, highlighting the militia’s activities in Iraq and Syria. He accused Saudi Arabia and the U.S. of being responsible for ISIS’s actions, stressing that Iran is the only country that has helped his militia. He also said that Iraqi-Saudi relations were like “a failed marriage,” adding that “we do not want a separation between Iran and Iraq.”

Al-Mousawi said that his militia would not allow foreign forces to remain in Mosul, and revealed that the American administration had heavily pressured the Iraqi government to prevent the Shi’ite Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militia from entering Sunni cities liberated from ISIS. He also said that the U.S. had demanded to appoint a civilian governer in Mosul, but that their demand had been rejected.

Al-Mousawi warned Turkey that if it did not withdraw from Bashiqa in northern Iraq his organization would take military action against it, adding that Al-Nujaba opposes the presence of former Iraqi prime minister Tariq Al-Hashimi – a Sunni currently living in exile – at conferences organized by Turkey to discuss Iraq’s fate.

He also stressed that his militia forces have been in Syria for four years and do not intend to withdraw until after “the terrorists” leave, and expressed fear of ethnic cleansing in the Shi’ite villages of Fu’ah and Kefraya in Syria.

Additionally, Al-Mousawi announced that his militia has established the “Golan Liberation Army,” which he said “comprises special forces that have received training and equipment.” This force, he said, “has detailed plans” for action, but requires the authorization of the Syrian government to be present in the Golan. Al-Mousawi admitted that his militia is directly tied to the PMU and the Iranian resistance axis, and said that the militia was expanding its activity to combat Israel on the Golan Heights because “Israel is fundamentally [responsible for] the destruction of Iraq… and took steps to destroy our infrastructure.” He also warned the Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen not to advance on Iran, because Iran is “a powerful country.” …

“We Will Not Allow Foreign Forces To Remain In Mosul..; We Do Not Want A Separation Between Iran And Iraq”

“Saudi-Iraqi ties are like a failed marriage. We hope [the Saudis] officially recognize the political process in Iraq and work with us from that angle. We will not allow foreign forces to remain in Mosul. …

“We Have Created The Golan Liberation Army… If The Syrian Regime Asks Us To, We Are Ready To Act To Liberate The Golan”

“After the recent victories, we created the Golan Liberation Army. This army has been trained and has detailed plans. If the Syria regime asks us to, we are ready to act to liberate the Golan [from Israel] along with our allies. We will not allow Arab and Islamic countries to be smaller in size than Israel…

“The Golan Army comprises special forces who have received training and equipment. They have not [yet] entered any war [against Israel] and have been busy only with ending regional wars. There is a need for authorization from the Syrian government so that the Golan Army can be present there [in the Golan]…

“Regarding the Golan Army, we are part of the PMU, and before that we were part of the resistance [axis]. So long as there is a threat in the region, we will not lay down our weapons.

“Israel is fundamentally [responsible for] Iraq’s destruction. That regime took steps to destroy our infrastructure and scientists. Whether Iraq is on Trump’s list or not, we consider [the U.S.] a supporter of regional terrorism…” 04/05/17 https://www.memri.org/reports/spokesman-iran-backed-iraqi-shiite-militia-syria-we-have-established-golan-liberation-army

Syria clearly wants the Golan Heights back. Officially, it is still at war with Israel.

Iran wants control of Iraq and also wants to eliminate the state of Israel.

Iran wants to takeover Jerusalem and lead the Islamic world. It then wants to takeover the world. It would prefer to knock out the USA whenever it can and it believes that mystical powers will allow it to do that. Most people in Iran subscribe to the Shi’ite (often called Shia) Muslim faith. Shi-ites consider that they have a purer understanding of Islam than the Sunni Muslims. Shi-ites represent about 10-20% of Muslims and nearly all the rest are Sunni (there are also Sufis, but they seem to represent less than 1% of all Muslims). While Syria is mostly Sunni, its President Assad is Shia. Iraq is mainly Shia.

Unlike Sunnis who do not believe that Muhammed appointed a successor, Shi-ites believe that during Muhammad’s final pilgrimage to Mecca, he appointed his son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, to succeed him. As a result, Shi-ites believe that Ali ibn Abi Talib was the first Imam (leader), rejecting the legitimacy of the previous Muslim caliphs Abu Bakr, Uthman ibn al-Affan and Umar ibn al-Khattab. Shia Islam has several branches, the largest of which is the Twelvers, followed by Zaidis and Ismailis (Wikipedia, viewed 11/25/13).

The Twelvers (and many of the other Shia) look forward to the Imam Mahdi, who is supposed to have special powers to bring them victory. Notice also the following:

Shiite Muslims, the majority in Iran, believe Jesus will accompany the Imam Mahdi when he reappears in a future apocalypse to save the world…

Shiites believe the Mahdi’s reappearance will usher in a new era of peace and harmony.

“We Muslims pray for the ‘Return’ (of Imam Mahdi) and Jesus is part of the return and the end of time,” Talebzadeh said (‘Islamic Jesus’ hits Iranian movie screens AFP – Jan 13, 2008 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080113231632.1q3rt654&show_article=1).

According to the tradition, Imam Ali Ibn Abi-Talib (the prophet’s cousin and son-in-law) prophesied that at the End of Times and just before the return of the Mahdi, the Ultimate Saviour, a “tall black man will assume the reins of government in the West.” Commanding “the strongest army on earth,” the new ruler in the West will carry “a clear sign” from the third imam, whose name was Hussein Ibn Ali. The tradition concludes: “Shiites should have no doubt that he is with us.”

In a curious coincidence Obama’s first and second names–Barack Hussein–mean “the blessing of Hussein” in Arabic and Persian. His family name, Obama, written in the Persian alphabet, reads O Ba Ma, which means “he is with us,” the magic formula in Majlisi’s tradition (Taheri A. Obama and Ahmadinejad. Forbes – Oct 26, 2008 http://www.forbes.com/2008/10/26/obama-iran-ahmadinejad-oped-cx_at_1026taheri_print.html viewed 11/14/08).

The Mahdi (Arabic for “the guided one”), is supposed to return before Judgment Day to eliminate injustice and tyranny. The appearance of the Mahdi is not mentioned in the Quran or the Sunnah (Prophet’s teachings), and many Sunni scholars view it as a Shiite invention…in the 132-volume work by Shiite scholar Mullah Majlisi (Nayouf, Hayyan. Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid. Shiite scholar denies Obama link to Muslim savior. Dubai. November 4, 2008. http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2008/11/04/59490.html viewed 05/19/09).

He was kept hidden from birth till he disappeared because the rulers of the time the Abbasids knew the Prophesy of Imam Mahdi who will bring about a revolt against oppression and tyranny. The Abbasid’s knew that the prophesised one will be the son of the 11th Shia imam, Imam Al Askari. READ MORE: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/08/11/why-is-israel-looking-for-imam-mahdi

While Shia Muslims tend to believe that their Imam Mahdi has been in a type of suspended animation and has been alive since 869, Sunni Muslims do not accept that.

Various prophecies of the Mahdi state that he would return in an even numbered year, (Zumwalt J. Iran’s Dynamic Duo Dedicated to Global Destruction. August 13, 2010. http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=38528). Since the Islamic calendar runs differently than the Roman calendar it is not always obvious when that is to non-Muslims. The Islamic year 1441, for example, runs from 11/12 September 2018 to 31 August/1 September 2019. So, we will not be in the next even numbered one until the 1st of September. But as we get closer to that date, some Shi’ites may be more motivated to take military action.

While I do believe that the final King of the South is currently alive, is somewhat Islamic, and may be associated with one or more transnational Islamic groups, I do not believe that he is the one that Shi-ite Muslims claim to be in some type of suspended animation.

We in the Continuing Church of God do not believe that Iran will be the final King of the South of Bible prophecy (cf. Daniel 11:40-43). Because of that, I have tended to believe that Iran may somehow get “neutralized” before this final king rises up. And it may be that provoking some type of conflict with Israel (through an attack or through simply possessing nuclear bombs) may result in Israel hitting Iran hard enough militarily to greatly reduce Iran’s influence in the Islamic world. Since no later than May of 2010, I have been writing that since Iran cannot be the final King of the South that it may be neutralized (see Iran Slams Russia).

Iran could be neutralized because of internal unrest or perhaps a regional conflict involving Israel. Its support of Syria as well as the “Golan Liberation Army” could be a factor in that.

As far as Syria and Israel go, the following prophecy seems applicable:

8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob, And it has fallen on Israel. … 11 Therefore the Lord shall set up The adversaries of Rezin against him, And spur his enemies on, 12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth. (Isaiah 9:8, 11-12)

So, there is a prophecy that Syria and the Philistines will devour Israel. The Philistines look to be the people now generally referred to as Palestinians. The tiny nation of Israel has had to deal with issues with the Syrians and Palestinians for decades, and ultimately it will not turn our well for Israel.

No declaration from the US State Department nor by US President Donald Trump will stop biblical prophecies from coming to pass.

Regarding some of Donald Trump’s policies, the following videos may be of interest:

Evangelical support for Donald Trump’s Jerusalem policy BBC asked, “Why do US evangelicals support Trump’s Jerusalem policy?” BBC provided quotes from some believing it has to do with the ‘last days’ while others saying that is not the reason. Hal Lindsey’s book, ‘The Late Great Planet Earth’ is one of the sources pointed to. In this video, Dr. Thiel addresses scriptures related to Jerusalem as well as prophetic ones. He goes over the common ‘fig tree’ interpretation, belief about a ‘Third Temple,’ and statements about animal sacrifices. He explains biblical statements on those subjects as well as the views of certain modern Jewish organizations. This is a video.
Jerusalem, Donald Trump, and Prophecy On December 6, 2017, US President Donald Trump fulfilled a campaign promise related to the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. This brought anger, protests, and rockets from some Palestinians. It also brought condemnation from European allies–it has been claimed to be disruptive and even catastrophic. The Palestinian President (Mahmoud Abbas) said that this pronouncement eliminated the USA as being a fair mediator for a peace deal. Others have claimed that Donald Trump is an end time Cyrus and his pronouncement will lead to a Third Temple in Jerusalem. Is there ever going to be a peace deal? If so, will Europeans be part of it? Is Donald Trump a ‘Cyrus.’ Do the Jews require a Third Temple for sacrifices? Dr. Thiel answer those questions and more in this video.

Bible prophecy shows that Israel will be negatively affected by the Syrians and Palestinians in Isaiah 9:8, 11-12 and by the Iranians and Syrians in Isaiah 22:1-14 (see also Iran in Prophecy).

But there are also other prophecies that show that Syria’s capital Damascus will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1; watch also Damascus and Syria in Prophecy) and Iran will also suffer loss (e.g. Jeremiah 49:34-39).

As tensions seem to be rising in the Golan Heights and elsewhere, we are moving closer to the fulfillment of those prophecies.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar al-Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to a related video: Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
Iran in Prophecy Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? There is also a related YouTube video titled Iran In Prophecy.
Mystery Babylon USA, Mecca, or Rome? The Bible tells of an end-time Mystery Babylon the Great that sits on seven hills. While Catholic and Church of God scholars have identified this as Rome, others point to other cities. Some who profess Christ have pointed to the USA. Some Protestants, like Joel Richardson, have pointed to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Which of these places meets the biblical criteria for ‘Mystery Babylon’? Is there any item of religious importance near the Caelian Hill (Cælius, Celio)? Dr. Thiel answers these questions from the Bible as well as certain historical information. This is a video.
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?
Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day? Is Ezekiel 38 about to be fulfilled? A related video is available titled Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now? Another could be Russia, Iran, Syria, & the Bible (Code).
Why Terrorism? Is Terrorism Prophesied? What does the Bible teach? Which nations may be affected? Here is a link to a related sermon: Terrorism, Christianity, and Islam.
Iraq, the King of the South, Armageddon, and Prophecy What will happen to Iraq? Is it the prophesied Mystery Babylon? What is Armageddon and how does that have to do with Iraq? Here is a related video Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
The Prophesied ‘Islamic’ Confederation Where is an Islamic caliphate prophesied? Will one happen? Should you be concerned about it? A related video is Will an Arabic Calphiphate Destroy the West?
Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia in Prophecy What is ahead for North Africa? What does the Bible teach?
How Will Middle East Peace be Brought About? Can humans bring peace to the Middle East? A related video is Middle East Peace? When?
Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to a related video: Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
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.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
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? Is a Donald Trump presidency proving to be apocalyptic? Two related videos are available: Donald: ‘Trump of God’ or Apocalyptic? and Donald Trump’s Prophetic Presidency.
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.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2019, 2020, or 2021? 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 2018 o 2019? ¿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 and newer video is: Might the Great Tribulation start in 2019?
The Times of the Gentiles Has there been more than one time of the Gentiles? Are we in it now or in the time of Anglo-America? What will the final time of the Gentiles be like? A related sermon is available and is titled: The Times of the Gentiles.
Armageddon Who is involved and when will this gathering happen? Here is also a video from Dr. Thiel, from Tel Megiddo in Israel: Armageddon. Other videos include: Armageddon Will it come on Trump’s watch?, Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy, Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome, Is China paving roads to Armageddon?, and Jordan, Petra, and Armageddon.

How will the #OBOR initiative impact treasurers operating in Asia? Part 1: the internationalization of the RMB https://t.co/7Wg0nOlUqz pic.twitter.com/h114ZjfVKZ

— The Global Treasurer (@TGTreasurer) February 19, 2019

COGwriter

The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) is pleased to announce the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

8:20

China’s Silk Road and Babylon the Great

China has been embarking on a multi-trillion dollar project to build roads and ports to connect more of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe to it. This has been called the ‘Belt and Road Initiative,’ Silk Road Project, Silk Road 2.0, and the One Belt, One Road Initiative. While this is expected to benefit Chinese trade (as well as provide infrastructure for the gathering at Armageddon), could this also benefit the rise of Babylon the Great foretold in the Book of Revelation and scriptures in the Old Testament? What about the proposed Polar Silk Road? Will the benefits to Europe last or will the end time ‘daughter of Babylon’ possibly face invasion from nations involved with the Silk Road project? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues with scriptures from the Bible.

Here is a link to our video: China’s Silk Road and Babylon the Great.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Is China paving roads to Armageddon? China is working on something known as the ‘Silk Road’ project or the “One Belt, One Road” initiative. NBC reports that China intends to spend one trillion dollars to build roads, bridges, railroads, and maritime facilities to reach from China to Europe and China to the Middle East. Over 60 nations, including Russia, are involved with this. Could this Silk Road project possibly produce thoroughfares that could be used by troops that will amass at Armageddon? Dr. Thiel discusses this project and some of its potential prophetic ramifications in this video.
Armageddon Who is involved and when will this gathering happen? Here is also a video from Dr. Thiel, from Tel Megiddo in Israel: Armageddon. Other videos include: Armageddon Will it come on Trump’s watch?, Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy, Freemasonry, Armageddon, and Rome, Is China paving roads to Armageddon?, and Jordan, Petra, and Armageddon.
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?
The Mark of Antichrist What is the mark of Antichrist? What have various ones claimed? Here is a link to a related sermon What is the ‘Mark of Antichrist’?
Mark of the Beast What is the mark of the Beast? Who is the Beast? What have various ones claimed the mark is? What is the ‘Mark of the Beast’?
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?
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.
The Large Hadron Collider has Military Potential Some say this European project is only peaceful. So why is it working on capturing antimatter? Here is a link to a related video: Could the Large Hadron Collider lead to destruction?
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. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.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.
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?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2019, 2020, or 2021? 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 2018 o 2019? ¿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 and newer video is: Might the Great Tribulation start in 2019?
The Times of the Gentiles Has there been more than one time of the Gentiles? Are we in it now or in the time of Anglo-America? What will the final time of the Gentiles be like? A related sermon is available and is titled: The Times of the Gentiles.
Christians: Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God, Biblical instructions on living as a Christian This is a scripture-filled booklet for those wishing to live as a real Christian. A related sermon is also available: Christians are Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God
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? Here is a link to a short animation: Which Church would Jesus Choose?
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.
CCOG.ORG Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups to the word of God.
Congregations of the Continuing Church of God This is a listing of congregations and groups of the Continuing Church of God around the world.
Continuing Church of God Facebook page This has news and prophetic information.
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.
CCOG Animations channel. The Continuing Church of God has some animations to teach aspects of Christian beliefs.
Bible News Prophecy channel. Dr. Thiel has produced many YouTube videos for the BibleNewsProphecy channel. And you can find them there.
ContinuingCOG channel. Dr. Thiel has produced YouTube video sermons for this channel. Note: Since these are sermon-length, they can take a little longer to load than other YouTube videos. Here is a link to a short intro: ContinuingCOG Channel.
CCOGAfrica channel. This has messages from African pastors in African languages such as Kalenjin, Kiswahili, Embu, and Dholuo.
BibleNewsProphecy Podcast. This has audio-visual podcasts of the Bible News Prophecy channgel. It plays on i-Phones, i-Pads, and Windows devices that can play i-Tunes.
Bible News Prophecy online radio. This is an audio version of the Bible News Prophecy videos. It is also available as a mobile app.

COGwriter

Voice of America reported the following:

Russia Slams ‘Hypocrisy’ of New Western Sanctions

March 16, 2019

MOSCOW — Russia on Saturday slammed the “hypocrisy” of new Western sanctions against its officials over their role in a naval confrontation with Ukraine last year, and vowed to respond to the “unfriendly” move.

The United States, Canada and the European Union Friday slapped new sanctions on more than a dozen Russian officials and businesses in response to Moscow’s “continued aggression in Ukraine.”

“The pretext for including our countrymen in the illegitimate sanctions list of the EU astounds with hypocrisy and cynicism,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

In a previous statement late on Friday, it said Russia “will not leave the unfriendly act of the EU without a response” and accused Brussels of siding with Kyiv on the eve of its presidential election due on March 31.

“It cannot be ignored that the decision came not long before the presidential election in Ukraine,” it said.

It also accused Washington and Ottawa of “Russophobia” and said the sanctions will “not lead to the results the U.S. and Canada want”.

A U.S. Treasury statement Friday said six Russian officials, six defense firms and two energy and construction firms had been targeted, either over the seizure of Ukrainian vessels in the Kerch Straight last November, or for their activities in Russian-annexed Crimea or separatist eastern Ukraine.

The U.S. sanctions freeze all property and interests in property belonging to the designated individuals and entities, and prohibit U.S. persons from transacting with them.

Four of the individuals are border guard or coast guard officials, singled out for their role in a November 25, 2018, naval confrontation, in which Russian ships fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels in the narrow Kerch Strait the two countries share.

The four were targeted jointly with the EU and Canada according to the State Department.

Twenty-four Ukrainian crew members were detained in the naval incident.

In the statement on Saturday, Russia said its border guards were “bravely fulfilling their duty to defend the state borders of our country” and that the confrontation was the result of a “provocation” by the Ukrainian side.

It said Moscow was acting “within the norms of international law” in arresting the Ukrainians.

Russia has said the sailors will go on trial for violating its maritime borders. They face up to six years in prison for illegally crossing Russian borders, lawyers have said. https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-reacts-to-new-western-sanctions/4833957.html

Russia has apparently expected this as the following from two days ago indicates:

14 March 2019

Leading Russian banks are working on plans to help each other retain at least short-term access to the global financial system in the event that they are hit by fresh U.S. sanctions, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Sberbank, VTB, Gazprombank and others are examining how they can provide each other with access to U.S. dollars or other major foreign currencies by using so-called correspondent accounts, the sources said.

Banks access financial services in different jurisdictions and provide cross-border payment services to customers in various currencies through correspondent banking relationships.

The new scheme, which banks started to draft with Russia‘s finance ministry and the Central Bank last year, would be unlikely to work indefinitely but could help avoid a panic if one or several big banks are cut off from dollar transactions. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/03/14/russias-top-banks-plot-temporary-sanctions-workaround-a64812

The Russians also have their own alternative to SWIFT in place now.

Last Fall, Russia encouraged foreign banks to use it:

Russia welcomes foreign banks to join its money transfer alternative to SWIFT

October 19, 2018

Foreign banks will soon be able to become part of Russia’s money transfer network which serves as an alternative to the traditional SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) system.

“Non-residents will start connecting to us this year. People are already turning to us,” said First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Russia Olga Skorobogatova. Earlier, the official said that by using the alternative payment system foreign firms would be able to do business with sanctioned Russian companies.

As of September, 416 Russian companies have joined the System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS), including the Russian Federal Treasury and large state corporations including Gazprom Neft, Rosneft, and others, the Central Bank said.

The potential exclusion of Russia from SWIFT worried the country’s banks in 2014, when the EU and the US introduced the first round of international sanctions against Moscow over alleged involvement in the Ukraine crisis and the reunification with Crimea. SWIFT has said it remains neutral in the political conflict.

There have been reports that despite such claims, the US has enough power to block transactions through SWIFT. …

SWIFT is a financial network that provides high-value cross-border transfers for members across the world. It is based in Belgium, but its board includes executives from US banks with US federal law allowing the administration to act against banks and regulators across the globe. https://www.rt.com/business/441733-russia-swift-alternative-foreign-banks/

Notice also that the Europeans are also working on an alternative to SWIFT:

The internationally acknowledged banking center has joined the voices from across Europe about creating an independent analog for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) amid US anti-Iran sanctions. Russia, which has already created its own system, voiced readiness to cooperate within a “euro-SWIFT” system.

Swiss Ambassador to Moscow Yves Rossier has affirmed that his country can join other states in setting up an independent alternative the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).

“If there are any new developments in the financial sector, we will closely monitor them, but this is clearly a matter for reflection in the EU, not in Switzerland… But if a new payment system appears, every country will take part in it, including us, of course, why not,” the diplomat told Sputnik. …

The German government is working together with the EEAS and European Commission, as well as France and the United Kingdom, on maintaining financial payment channels with Iran,” the spokesperson noted, adding, “The negotiations on this are intensive and ongoing. There are different models under consideration,” cited by Politico.

Russia Ready to Join

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, commenting on the recent statements, has expressed Moscow’s readiness to cooperate within some kind of euro-SWIFT system to process operations among European banks and financial institutions, including oil and other resources payments.

«We are ready to join such offers. That’s why it seems to me that this would be a way-out and response to these restrictions the US is imposing on companies and financial institutions, using dollars for settlements,” he told the Russian broadcaster Rossiya 24.

The Brussels-based international interbank payment system SWIFT, created in the 70s, is now used by nearly 11,000 organizations in more than 200 countries. Criticized for sharing some information with the US government following the 9/11 attacks, the system in 2014 stated that it’s been put under pressure by some countries, insisting on its joining the sanctions against Russia. 10/05/18 https://sputniknews.com/business/201810051068629556-switzerland-eu-swift-alternative/

Brussels and European Union states seem ready to stage a battle with Washington over an obscure but important financial-service network—against Europe’s own interests.

The looming brouhaha concerns Swift …

Swift is particularly prone to U.S. pressure because the American financial system looms so large in the world. Swift’s board includes representatives of European and American banks, and many messages across its network travel to or from the U.S. Some Europeans believe Washington wields too much influence over a network they think should operate on a multilateral consensus like a financial EU. 10/17/18 https://www.wsj.com/articles/europes-not-so-swift-diplomacy-1539730896

Notice also two headlines from a while back:

Germany urges SWIFT end to US payments dominance

08/27/18 https://www.dw.com/en/germany-urges-swift-end-to-us-payments-dominance/a-45242528

EU Looking to Sidestep U.S. Sanctions With Payments System Plan

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-27/eu-looking-to-sidestep-u-s-sanctions-with-payments-system-plan

Currently, the USA benefits from most international trade as most of the time nations use US dollars for trade. Every time a nation stops doing that, or reduces doing that, it has a negative effect on the economy of the USA.

As I have written before, there is a price to pay for US sanctions and they do affect the dollar.

World events continue to confirm items posted here as well as in our videos. Here are two such videos:

Is Donald Trump pushing Europe to Russia?

A recent headline was “Is Trump Pushing Germany to Russia?” There have been comments by German and Russian leaders that they have aligned interests that Donald Trump opposes and need to take financial, military, and other steps to assist Europe. Russia and the EU (European Union) still support the Iran nuclear deal, Paris Climate accords, and the World Trade Organization, despite Donald Trump’s actions against them. Have there been comments to replace the USA’s SWIFT system by the Russians and Germans? What is Russia’s MIR payment system? What about talks for the EU to have trade and other arrangements with the EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union)? Did the old Radio Church of God foretell of the development of a Russian and German plan to eliminate the USA? Has Russia indicated that it wants Alaska back? Is the giving of USA territories to Russia by a coming European leader consistent with a prophecy in the Book of Daniel? Here is a link to our video: Is Donald Trump pushing Europe to Russia?

Furthermore, China also has been trying to come up with systems, including with gold backing, to avoid the US dollar (watch US Dollar being challenged by Gold-Petro-Yuan).

The USA has been pushing countries away from its currency.

And while the Europeans joined in these sanctions, many in Europe do not like this and believe that the US has pushed them into sanctions against Russia (and Iran).

USA sanctions are pushing the Gentile nations to come up with something that the USA will not like.

The Russians called US actions hypocritical.

The Bible tells of destruction coming to “an  hypocritical nation” (Isaiah 10:6, KJV).

The USA does not seem to realize that it is undermining its position as the world’s primary reserve currency through its sanctions and other policies.

This is an unintended consequence of US sanctions policies.

The Bible points to the end coming to the USA (cf. Daniel 11:39).

(Via Pixabay)

COGwriter

The EU is intending summits next week on a plan for “European industry strategy” and essentially controlling communications. Notice some information on one of them:

Germany, France to push European industry strategy at summit

March 16, 2019

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel says Germany and France hope to win over other European Union countries to their ideas for a “European industry strategy” at a summit this week.

Leaders of the 28 EU countries hold a regular summit Thursday and Friday. Merkel said in her weekly video message Saturday that she and French President Emmanuel Macron have proposed discussing the issue as they try to “secure jobs for the future in strategic business areas in Europe.” https://www.apnews.com/2e9383f3a59a499d8bf4a9665a6af14c

The above is consistent with a program called “Europe 2020” as well as various EU goals to be more of a world leader in technology.

Because of the timing of this announcement of a coming “European industry strategy,” it may also be intended to influence the voting in Europe in May. Both Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron want a more unified EU, whereas there are others who want more of a distantly confederated EU. If the proposed “European industry strategy” catches enough attention, it could help Angela Merkel’s and Emmanuel Macron’s short and long term European goals.

The Europeans have been pushing technology, their own army (watch PESCO and a Great European Army), their own space agency (see European Commissioner wants a European Space Army), as well as their vision for world trade (see ‘US Trade Agency Sees Negotiating New WTO Rules to Rein in China as Futile’ (But EU using WTO against the USA).

Part of the reason that I have long stated that technology will be used by the Europeans is the following prophecy:

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

The above shows that a power the world did not expect to be successful militarily will astonish the world. Technology and various European strategies will lead to the fulfillment of that and other prophecies in the Bible.

Now there is another EU summit to mention. Before getting to that, notice the following:

EU Is Steadily Moving Towards Creation Of 1984-style Ministry Of Truth

The European Parliament passed a recommendation calling  Russia “the main source of disinformation in Europe” and appealing for increased funding for the EU’s East StratCom Task Force, which already got 1.1 million euros in 2018. …

The proposal passed by the European Parliament is another indication that the EU bureaucracy is steadily pushing the bloc towards media and political totalitarism. The principle of freedom of speech is becoming abandoned. Most critical positions and reports are labeled Russian propaganda and disinformation while grassroots initiatives not loyal to the European establishment or non-mainstream media outlets are described as Russian agents. 03/14/19 https://southfront.org/eu-is-steadily-moving-towards-creation-of-1984-style-ministry-of-truth/

The above reminded me of the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

16:10

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 Geroge 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. A written article of related interest is titled “Totalitarian controls getting closer–The Guardian pushing internet censorship.”

Anyway, the ‘Ministry of Truth’ headline seemed to align with the following upcoming conference:

EU: Telling Europeans What to Think

The first European Media Literacy Week, an initiative of the European Union, will take place March 18-22 in various European cities. The week is a new initiative by the European Commission, putatively “to underline the societal importance of media literacy and promote media literacy initiatives and projects across the EU”. The European Commission explains its policy of strengthening ‘media literacy’ within the EU — which could have been a noble and useful initiative — the following way:

“With the rapid rise of digital technology and its increasing use in business, education and culture, it is important to ensure everyone can understand and engage with digital media.

“Media literacy is vital for economic growth and job creation. Digital technologies are a key driver of competitiveness and innovation in the media, information, and communication technology sectors.”

As part of its “Digital Single Market” strategy, the European Commission adds flimsily:

“Media literacy concerns different media (broadcasting, radio, press), different distribution channels (traditional, internet, social media) and addresses the needs of all ages… A high level of media literacy is a key factor to enable citizens to make informed decisions in the digital age. Media literacy is a pre-requisite for a vibrant, modern democracy.”

One does not have to scratch the surface much, however, before it appears that at least certain aspects of the European Commission’s Media Literacy policy are less about enlightening citizens, than about heavy-handedly guiding them on what to think. According to the European Commission, “a key stone in all possible definitions of media literacy is the development of critical thinking by the user.” The Commission, it would appear, has arrogated to itself the formidable task of “developing” that crucial faculty in EU citizens.

Furthermore, according to the Commission:

“Media literacy is also a tool empowering citizens as well as raising their awareness and helping counter the effects of disinformation campaigns and fake news spreading through digital media.”

The EU initiative against disinformation, according to which, “The exposure of citizens to large scale disinformation, including misleading or outright false information, is a major challenge for Europe,” contains “an action plan to step up efforts to counter disinformation in Europe and beyond…” The action plan is analyzed in more detail here.

The above initiatives, of course, exist in addition to all the other measures that the EU has put in place to “guide” Europeans onto the path of proper thinking. 03/15/19 https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13864/eu-media-literacy

A read of much of the 13th chapter of the Book of Revelation shows that controlling thoughts and actions will be something that the two European ‘Beasts’ will do.

Notice verses 7-18 of that chapter:

7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:7-18)

Forcing worship, causing people to be killed who will not worship, controlling buying and selling, etc. is consistent with a power that wants to try to push its version of ‘proper’ thinking and communications.

Europe continues to take steps that are preparing it to come under control of the Beasts of Revelation 13.