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COGwriter

While most people seem to understand that many of the descendants of Judah are in the nation currently called Israel, various ones these days deny that. But those that deny it are wrong. They often seem to have an anti-Semitic and/or a racial agenda.

For some clues tying Judah in with the Jews, notice something that one-time WCG member Bert Otten sent me:

Ten Prophetic Clues Concerning

Judah – Jews

This is an unusual article in this series about the tribes. Up till now I have dealt with three of the Lost Ten Tribes…

The tribe of Judah is not a lost tribe. The Jews have a verifiable history, all the way to the Jews of 2000 years ago, to the times of Jesus. The Jews at the time of Jesus were for a great deal descendants of the former inhabitants of the Kingdom of Judah (930-586 BC). The inhabitants of the Kingdom of Judah were made up of the whole tribe of Judah and large parts of Benjamin and Levi. Although Jewry (Judaism) has known many proselytes, there has always been a core of the House of Judah in Jewry for the past 2500 years. The core passes on characteristics and genes to the periphery. By looking at the prophetic clues of Judah, and finding these amongst Jews – like I do with the lost tribes – this methodical approach is also justified for finding the lost tribes. In this article I want to show that even if there were no direct historical proof for the link Judah – Jews, there would still be a proof by revelation.

1^st Clue: Judah – praise

And [Leah] conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I PRAISE [odeh] the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah [Yehudah]; and left bearing (Gen 29:35, KJV, unless mentioned).

… A Psalm of DAVID. I will PRAISE thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works (Ps 9:1).

A Psalm of SOLOMON … BLESSED be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things; And BLESSED be His glorious name for ever; and let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen (Ps 72:1a, 18-19, JPS).

This praising of God by the descendants of Judah can be found back in the Bible. King David was of the tribe of Judah and wrote more than half of the 150 psalms. The psalms are probably the greatest ode, honour, glory and praise of God in the Bible. The book of Psalms is one of the most frequent translated parts of the Old Testament, thereby distributing the praises of the Jews to their God all over the world. King Solomon, also of the tribe of Judah, wrote 1005 psalms (1 Ki 4:32). Two of Solomon’s psalms are in the Bible (Ps 72, 127).

One of the most popular psalms is Psalm 23 of David. Think of all the variations in music and lyrics that have been made based on this psalm.

Others of the tribe of Judah have written parts of the Bible, thus praising God.

In modern-day Jewry this praising of God is still expressed in countless prayers (praises!) and blessings, which have been written down in books of prayer, which are recited on special and common days. There is not a day or activity, or the Jews have written a prayer for…

2^nd Clue: Judah and money

And JUDAH said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us SELL him …, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother … And his brethren were content (Gen 37:26-27).

When JUDAH saw her [Tamar], he thought her to be an HARLOT [paid sex]; because she had covered her face … And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock … (Gen 38:15-17).

And Achan [of the tribe of Judah] answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel … When I saw among the spoils a goodly … garment, and 200 shekels of SILVER, and a wedge of GOLD of 50 shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the SILVER under it (Joshua 7:20-21).

So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the SILVER, and the GOLD, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD (1 Kings 7:51).

Now the weight of GOLD that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold (1Ki 10:14).

Money. The lust after money, the love for money, financial skills and philanthropy.

Everyone wants to earn money and each people have their rich and their poor, so why focus on money. Because it is a parallel that keeps popping up between Judah and Jews. Whether it is by inner qualities, by fate, or by prohibitions within Christianity, Jews have a certain connection with money. It was Judah´s idea to sell Joseph; in the NT Judas (Greek for Judah) sold Jesus; Achan of the tribe of Judah took God´s silver and gold at Jericho´s fall. The Bible also mentions positive use of gold and silver by children of Judah, by David and Solomon. Solomon of the House of Judah probably was the richest Jew ever.

Under Solomon the nation was prosperous and there was gold in abundance. However, it was not just a happy financial story. Money led to the secession of the Ten Northern Tribes. Solomon’s taxes on the ten tribes had been a heavy yoke (Jeroboam) that Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, refused to lighten. It cost him 10 of the 12 tribes.

It is well-known that the policies of the medieval Church and of Christian society pushed the Jews into usury and banking…Judah has a way with money. Even the Jerusalem Post published a list of the 50 wealthiest Jews in 2010…{10 listed were worth USD$11 billion or more}…

3^rd Clue: Judah – messiah, messianism

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his ANOINTED [messiah] … (Ps 2:2) … Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his ANOINTED [messiah], to David, and to his seed for evermore (Ps 18:50). Now know I that the LORD saveth his ANOINTED [messiah]; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand (Ps 20:6) …

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse [of the tribe of JUDAH], and a Branch shall grow out of his roots (Isaiah 11:1).

Mashiach – Messiah – Anointed

Priests (Ex 30:22-25) and kings were anointed in Judah and Israel. Anointed translates as mashiach in Hebrew (messiah). A teaching developed in Judaism about a coming messiah, a coming liberator…

Soon the real (Jewish) Messiah will come, a return for Christians and a first coming for many Jews: then the whole world will be liberated from Satan and his demons.

4^th Clue: Judah – writers (scribes)

… and Shebna the scribe … (2 Kings 18:18) … Shaphan the scribe … (2 Kings 22:8) … And Shemaiah … the scribe … (1 Chron 24:6) … Jeiel the scribe … (2 Chron 26:11) … Shimshai the scribe … (Ezra 4:8) … Elishama the scribe … (Jer 36:12) … Baruch the scribe … (Jer 36:26) … Jonathan the scribe … (Jer 37:15) .

Bible – Apocrypha – Talmud

The Jews wrote many books of the Bible. Not always do we know the tribe of the Biblical writer, but it is certain that most Bible authors were of the Kingdom of Judah and even of the tribe of Judah.

Of the writing prophets Isaiah, Amos, Habakkuk, Joel, Micah, Obadiah, Zechariah en Zephaniah were of the tribe of Judah. David and Solomon were of course of the tribe of Judah as well. David wrote half of the psalms and Solomon wrote Song of Songs, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Psalm 72 and 127.

Of most of the NT writers we do not know the tribe either, but James and Jude were just like their half-brother Jesus of the tribe of Judah. Jesus did not write himself, but the evangelists wrote his stories down. The Good Samaritan and The Prodigal Son belong to the most important stories of world literature.

Apart from the books of the Bible, the Jews also wrote Apocryphal books, pseudo-epigraphic writings and the Talmud (2711 pages)…

5^th Clue: Judah – laws, judges, lawyers

The LAW of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the TESTIMONY of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The STATUTES of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The FEAR of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the JUDGMENTS of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant [David, of Judah] warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward (Ps 19:7-11).

And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the BOOK OF THE LAW in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it … And it came to pass, when the king [Josiah of Judah] had heard the words of the BOOK OF THE LAW, that he rent his clothes (2 Kings 22:8, 11).

For whosoever shall keep the whole LAW, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law (James 2:10-11), (James of Judah).

Above some verses about descendants of the tribe of Judah with regards to God’s law. King David was jubilant about God’s laws and decrees. His son Solomon concluded at the end of Ecclesiastes, The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole man (Eccl 12:13). Their descendant Josiah rent his garments when the found book of the law was read.

Jesus (of Judah, of David, Mt 1, Lk 1), said the following concerning the law in the Sermon on the Mount: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:18-19).

His half-brother James defended the law and called us to keep all of God’s Ten Commandments,. He wrote, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10-11).

Torah – Tanakh – Talmud

Religious Jews spend their whole life studying Talmud. The Talmud comprises the Mishna (ca. 200 AD) and the Gemara (ca. 500-1000 AD). A Talmud page consists of the Mishna discussing a part of the Pentateuch of Moses, around that the Gemara discussing the Mishna is printed and around it all are the medieval commentators like Maimonides and Rashi. Judah, Jews, are fond of the law. The discussions between our Lord Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes are a good example of this.

Lawyers

Their love for law and their knowledge of law make that Jews are very suitable for professions like judges, lawyers and barristers…

Of the nine judges of the United States Supreme Court three are Jewish, that is 33,3%, although the Jews in the USA are not even 2% of the total population.

6^th Clue: Judah – hypocrisy

And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother … Come, and let us sell him … and let not our hand be upon him; FOR HE IS OUR BROTHER AND OUR FLESH. And his brethren were content (Gen 37:26-27).

And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and LET HER BE BURNT (Gen 38:24).

And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing SHALL SURELY DIE (2 Sam 12:5).

Saying, I [Judas] have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they [priests and elders] said, What is that to us? see thou to that (Mt 27:4).

Descendants of Judah show a certain hypocrisy from time to time, which can be traced from the patriarch Judah to this day…. On the one hand the Bible is used to defend certain actions, while on the other hand many Biblical commandments are ignored…

7^th Clue: Judah and music

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that DAVID took an HARP, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him (1Sam 16:23).

A PSALM of David … (Ps 3:1; 4:1; etc. 54 times).

And DAVID and all Israel PLAYED before God with all their might, and with SINGING, and with HARPS, and with PSALTERIES, and with TIMBRELS, and with CYMBALS, and with TRUMPETS (1Chron 13:8).

… and [SOLOMON’S] songs were a thousand and five (1 Kings 4:32).

Judah’s descendants, the Jews, are endowed with musical skills. David brought relief to king Saul with his harp (1 Sam 16:23). King David had the ark brought back to Jerusalem with singing, music and dancing (1 Chron 13:8; 15:16). David invented musical instruments (Amos 6:5). Solomon dedicated the temple with big choirs and with the musical instruments made by David (2 Chron 7:6). King Jehoshaphat of Judah defeated his enemies with a choir (2 Chron 20) and Nehemiah dedicated the repaired wall of Jerusalem with two choirs (Neh 12:31-43).

Judah’s descendants were and still are into music. Things coming to my mind: there is Mendelsohn, Jewish song-writers in Hollywood, musicals like Fiddler on the Roof, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, the chazzan, klezmer music, etc…

8^th Clue: Judah and government

… thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a LION’S whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a LION, and as an old LION; who shall rouse him up? The SCEPTER shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come … (Gen 49:8-10).

[Jewish Rulers of Judah]: … Solomon … Rehoboam … Abia … Asa … Jehoshaphat … Joram … Ahaziah … Joash … Amaziah … Azariah … Jotham … Ahaz … Hezekiah … Manasseh … Amon … Josiah … Jehoiakim … Zedekiah … Jeconiah … Salathiel Zerubbabel … (1 Chron 3:10-19).

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the THRONE of his father DAVID: And he shall REIGN over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his KINGDOM there shall be no end (Lk 1:31-33).

Judah was the leader of the eleven brothers, not Reuben. At the selling of Joseph and at both trips to Egypt, Judah was in charge. At the Exodus the tribes were grouped around the tabernacle in such a manner, that Judah always led the way, to be followed by Issachar and Zebulun. There were only two positive spies, Joshua (of Ephraim) and Kaleb (of the tribe of Judah). Kaleb’s nephew, Othniel, became judge in Israel. Jacob’s blessing for Judah (Gen 49) includes the promise of the coming messiah. After God rejected Saul (Benjamite), God gave the kingdom to David (of Judah). David and Solomon ruled the twelve tribes. Their descendants (|Rehoboam – Zedekiah) reigned over the two tribes…

Over the past centuries Jews have had important government positions in many countries…

9^th Clue: Judah – a suffering people

And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him … And the thing which [Onan] did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also … And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died … and [Judah] came in unto her [Tamar], and she conceived by him (Gen 38:7, 10, 12, 18).

… A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me … O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent … But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men … Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help …. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death (Ps 22:1-15).

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not … He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth …Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him … (Isaiah 53).

At his first coming into the world Jesus came as the suffering servant. At his second coming Jesus will come as a fighting warrior (Rev 19), and He will rule as King of kings. So we see a suffering messiah and a fighting messiah. This phenomenon can also be seen with Judah, with the Jewish people.

Patriarch Judah

Much of the suffering of the patriarch Judah was self-inflicted, but he suffered nonetheless. After Joseph’s sale, things went bad for 22 years for Judah; 22 is the number of suffering…

Much has been written about the suffering of the Jewish people. At the time of the Persians (5^th c. BC) Haman tried to wipe out the Jewish people (Purim – Esther). The Seleucid King of the North made a vicious attack on the religion of the Jews (2^nd c. BC) (Hanukkah-Maccabees). The Jewish revolts (self-inflicted) against the Roman Empire of 66-73 AD, 115-117 AD and 132-135 AD led to much suffering. During the Middle Ages the Jews suffered badly in Christian Europe and the Jews under Islam did not fare much better over the past millennium. In eastern Europe pogroms were occurring in modern times and the suffering of the Jews culminated in Hitler’s Holocaust with about 6 million dead.

10^th Clue: Judah – warriors

Judah, … thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies … Judah is a LION’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a LION … (Gen 49:8-9).

And Caleb [spy of Judah] drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak (Josh 15:14).

Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son [DAVID] of Jesse the Bethlehemite … a MIGHTY VALIANT MAN, and a MAN OF WAR … (1Sam 16:18).

And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be CHIEF and CAPTAIN. So Joab [David’s kin] the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was CHIEF (1 Chron 11:6).

And [king] Asa had an army of men that bare TARGETS and SPEARS, out of Judah 300,000 … (2 Chron 14:8).

And out of his [Jesus’] mouth goeth a sharp SWORD, that with it he should smite the nations … (Rev 19:15).

In history Judah appears alternatively as a lion or as a lamb. The tribe possesses both characteristics. On the one hand they are able to fight hard and on the other hand they are able to take a lot of suffering and persist in a seemingly lamb-like role for a long time. Jesus the Messiah is also Lion and Lamb. Lamb during His first Coming and Lion during His Second Coming (Rev 5:5)…

In the Palestine Mandate the Jews started to arm and defend themselves. During WW II the Jews fought the German SS bravely for a month in the Warsaw ghetto. The Jewish State of Israel has fought many wars and won. The change from lamb to lion casts prophetic light on the coming Messiah, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Joseph – Judah

Most Jews are antagonistic about the Israelite identity of the peoples of north-western Europe. Many believers of this Israelite identity are quite antagonistic towards the Jews. This enmity, this jealousy, between Ephraim and Judah has been predicted. It will be ended by the Messiah:

The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim (Isaiah 11:13).

While I believe that history demonstrates that the tribe of Judah dominates the nation known as Israel, Bert Otten has added a variety of observations that many have not considered. Perhaps I should add that he listed many wealthy Jews, Jewish musicians, and Jewish leaders that I did not include above because of the length of his article. But basically, they serve to back up his assertions.

I do not believe that most of those in the nation of Israel who consider themselves to be Jews did not descend from Jacob/Israel like certain antisemitic writers claim. Judah is NOT a lost tribe.

Furthermore, it can be clearly proven that the ancient Jews were not black. Because some make that claim, I also located some photos of 1st century A.D. coins–the century Jesus was executed in. After General Titus conquered Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Emperor Vespasian issued coins–the back side of which shows conquered Jews:

Titus on left, Jewish man on bottom right (CNG coins)

Vespasian on left, captured Jewish soldiers on right, 71 A.D. (CNG coins)

Notice the the Jews were not African (which is clear from the hair of the man on the first coin as well as the hair of the man to the left of the second coin). The second coin inscription in Latin Ivdea means Judea. These coins are clear evidence that the Jews of the first century–like Jesus–were not black Africans.

If most Jews of Jesus’ time were black, the coins would have been expected to portray that–but they do not. These are absolute proof.

For more information, read Were the Ancient Tribes of Israel Black? Was Jesus Black? and/or watch Were Ancient Hebrews Black? What About Jesus?

As far as the descendants of Ephraim go, they are considered to be the ‘covenant people’ (watch the video British are the Covenant People).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Were the Ancient Tribes of Israel Black? Was Jesus Black? Some claim this is so. But what do the Bible and ancient artifacts show? Here is a link to a related sermon video: Were Ancient Hebrews Black? What About Jesus?
God’s Grace is For All Is being Jewish a hindrance to salvation? What about not being a descendant of Israel? What does the Bible really teach? Here is a link to a related sermon titled Race and Grace; Do you view race as God does?
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There are also two related YouTube videos you can watch: Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated and God’s and Satan’s Plan for Jerusalem.
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-Celtic 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?
Canada in Prophecy: What Does Bible Prophecy, Catholic Prophecy, and other Predictions Suggest About the Future of Canada? There are prophecies that suggest involvement with Canada. And many are not positive about its future. A sermon of related interest is also available: Canada in Prophecy.
Australia and New Zealand in Prophecy Do biblical prophecies help explain the wealth blessings for Australia and New Zealand? Might cursings from disobedience come in the 21st century? Here is a link to a related sermon: Australia and New Zealand: Origins and Prophecy.
The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy? What is the origin of this in France? What is prophesied to happen to them? A two-part sermon related to history and prophecy is available online: The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben and France and Prophecy.
Ten clues tying Belgium and Luxembourg with the tribe of Asher Who did some in Belgium and Luxembourg descend from?
Ten clues tying Zebulun with the Dutch Who did some in the Netherlands descend from?
Ten Prophetic Clues Concerning Naphtali – Sweden Do the Swedes have any ties to the biblical tribe of Naphtali? Some think so
‘Ten Prophetic Clues Concerning Dan – the Irish’ Not part of the ‘144,000’ Could the Irish and Danes have descent from the tribe of Dan?

Logo of Centre for Plant Medicine Research

COGwriter

Voice of America (VOA) reported the following:

Ghanaians Look to Herbal Remedies for COVID-19

June 2, 2020

AKUAPEM-MAMPONG – Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Ghanaians have traveled to a plant research center outside the capital, Accra, to give scientists and researchers herbal products and plants they think will help cure the coronavirus — or at least alleviate symptoms.

About 70% of Ghanaians depend on herbal remedies for their health care.  Last year, government hospitals began integrating the practitioners and training them to incorporate scientific methods into their work. The Center for Plant Medicine Research grew out of a visit by a Ghanaian doctor to China in the 1960s to learn from Chinese herbal medicine.

The center’s acting executive director, Kofi Bobi Barimah, dreams of finding a cure for COVID-19, … said Barimah. “But at the Center for Plant Medicine Research, what we do is that we do research to look at the safety of it and then also to make sure it is something that can be consumed by the public. And we also make sure that it is something that is plant-based.”

In the labs of the center, researchers have been testing local herbal products to see what might help in Ghana’s fight against COVID-19.

So far, they have recommended herbal products to boost immunity. But the center is also testing and planning trials of herbal medicines against the virus, scientist Alfred Ampomah Appiah said.

“Herbs have what we call phytonutrients or phytoconstituents, and when we use these herbs, they have a broad activity that might contribute to health a lot.”

Ghanaians’ belief in traditional, plant-based medicine is widespread.

The center grows medicinal plants to help with a range of diseases and conditions, including malaria, typhoid and high blood pressure, Michael Ofori, a technologist at the center, says.

“Our forefathers were using these herbs long before we were born, but they didn’t have the scientific means to research and know the actual dosage of the plants,” Ofori said. “Now, we are being privileged to have that technology at hand, so then we have to attach that technology to the herbal aspects so they can be very safe for us to consume.”

In a town close to the center, trader Abena Oye said she relies on herbal remedies and hopes Ghana will find a traditional cure for COVID-19. https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/ghanaians-look-herbal-remedies-covid-19

I told the only person that I knew who for sure had COVID-19 to increase consumption of high vitamin C foods and also sent herbs, vitamin D, and food zinc. And he recovered quickly.

But, because US pharmaceutical companies can not make as much money with herbs and nutrients as patented drugs and vaccines, they lack the financial incentives to look for natural forms of treatment. People in Ghana and many other parts of the world cannot afford to wait for pharmaceuticals that many cannot afford anyway. Looking at herbal plants, which they have historically used when infected with viruses, is logical and probably cost-effective.

Before getting to herbs, let’s look at some nutrients.

As far as zinc goes, here is something I posted on Facebook (which is a media I do not use much) at my company’s page:

“Zn(2+) inhibits coronavirus and arterivirus RNA polymerase activity in vitro and zinc ionophores block the replication of these viruses in cell culture.”

So says the titled of a MEDLine published study (PLoS Pathog. 2010 Nov 4;6(11); https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2973827/) that I saw in a link that someone forwarded to me today.

Here is the abstract from that paper:

“Abstract

Increasing the intracellular Zn(2+) concentration with zinc-ionophores like pyrithione (PT) can efficiently impair the replication of a variety of RNA viruses, including poliovirus and influenza virus. For some viruses this effect has been attributed to interference with viral polyprotein processing. In this study we demonstrate that the combination of Zn(2+) and PT at low concentrations (2 µM Zn(2+) and 2 µM PT) inhibits the replication of SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and equine arteritis virus (EAV) in cell culture. The RNA synthesis of these two distantly related nidoviruses is catalyzed by an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), which is the core enzyme of their multiprotein replication and transcription complex (RTC). Using an activity assay for RTCs isolated from cells infected with SARS-CoV or EAV–thus eliminating the need for PT to transport Zn(2+) across the plasma membrane–we show that Zn(2+) efficiently inhibits the RNA-synthesizing activity of the RTCs of both viruses. Enzymatic studies using recombinant RdRps (SARS-CoV nsp12 and EAV nsp9) purified from E. coli subsequently revealed that Zn(2+) directly inhibited the in vitro activity of both nidovirus polymerases. More specifically, Zn(2+) was found to block the initiation step of EAV RNA synthesis, whereas in the case of the SARS-CoV RdRp elongation was inhibited and template binding reduced. By chelating Zn(2+) with MgEDTA, the inhibitory effect of the divalent cation could be reversed, which provides a novel experimental tool for in vitro studies of the molecular details of nidovirus replication and transcription.”

Now, that study DID NOT involve the novel coronavirus called COVID-19 as it was not known to exist then. But the paper was of interest.

Anyway, one problem people have with supplemental zinc is that it does not enter the cytoplasm of the cell very well.

Though inorganic mineral salt forms are often used in supplements, researchers acknowledge that organic zinc is better absorbed than inorganic zinc [Shils ME, Olson JA, Shike M. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 8th ed. Lea & Febiger, Phil.,1994; Cunnane SC. Zinc: Clinical and Biochemical Significance. CRC Press, Boca Raton (FL), 1988).

Zinc itself is generally found in the human body attached to a peptide (Ibid). It is often attached to albumin [1,2] or alpha2-macroglobulin or exists as part of one of the many zinc metalloenzymes (Ibid). Zinc is not naturally found in the body in forms such as zinc citrate, zinc chloride, or zinc picolinate. Generally speaking, these two-word descriptions indicate a mineral salt (rock) and not zinc as is found in food.

Nutritional yeast is an excellent source of zinc because, “fermenting organisms produce phytases that break down phytate and increase the amount of absorbable zinc” (Shils ME, et al. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 10th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Balt., 2006:273). Nutritional yeast also contains certain amino acids (Leavening agents, yeast, baker’s, compressed. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18, 2005) that enhance the absorption of zinc (Shils, p. 273).

Zinc in yeast-containing foods is better absorbed and is a better form for humans than inorganic forms (Andlid TA, Veide J, Sandberg AS. Metabolism of extracellular inositol hexaphosphate (phytate) by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Int J. Food Microbiology. 2004;97(2):157-169; King JC, Cousins RJ. Zinc. In Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 10th ed. Lipponcott Williams & Wilkins, Phil., 2005:271-285).

Since diabetics seem to need zinc, but their deficiencies are refractory to zinc salts (Cunningham JJ. Micronutrients as nutriceutical interventions in diabetes mellitus. J Am Coll Nutr. 1998;17(1):7-10), food forms of zinc should also be a better choice for absorption for this population.

Zinc in foods appears to have a smaller particle size than that which is found in inorganic mineral salts. Nutrition scientists understand that smaller particle size improves bioavailability; the main point of digestion is to get food particles small enough to be absorbed by intestinal villi (Shils; Whitney EN, Hamilton EMN. Understanding Nutrition, 4th ed. West Publishing, NY, 1987). This may partially explain why food zinc is superior to zinc found in inorganic mineral salts. Most zinc is absorbed in the small intestine, with the majority of it believed to be absorbed in the jejunum; only small amounts are believed to be absorbed in the stomach or large intestine.

High zinc-containing foods include pumpkin seeds, forms of yeast (S. cerevisiae), wheat bran, beef, miso, spinach, mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, brewer’s yeast, turkey, lamb, bean sprouts, tofu, and to a lesser degree in whole wheat bread (Whitney).

Studies led by Dr. J. Vinson of the University of Scranton (PA) indicate that food zinc (as found in specially grown S. cerevisiae) appears to be 1.72-1.75 times more absorbed in the blood than zinc sulfate (1.71 times more than zinc chelate; 6.46 times more than zinc gluconate; 3.11 times more than zinc orotate) and 1.75-1.87 times more retained in the liver than zinc sulfate and is 1.45 times more than zinc amino acid chelate; 3.68 times more than zinc gluconate; 1.50 times more than zinc orotate (Vinson J, Bose P, Lemoine L, Hsiao KH. Bioavailability studies. In Nutrient Availability: Chemical and Biological Aspects. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge (UK) 1989:125-127; Vinson JA, Bose P. Comparison of bio-availability of trace elements in inorganic salts, amino acid chelates, and yeast. Mineral Elements 80, Proceedings II, Helsinki, Dec 9-11, 1981; Vinson J. Rat zinc bioavailability study. University of Scranton, Scranton; Note: Some of these studies may not conform to peer review standards. Therefore, the results are not conclusive. Professionals can, and often do, come to different conclusions when reviewing scientific data. None of these statements have been reviewed by the FDA.).

Anyway, for better absorption, I have long taken food zinc (from pumpkin seeds and specially grown S. cerevisiae) as a supplement–and currently still do.

Governments around the world, including the USA, have been loath to tell the public that they can do more than hide and wash to help themselves with COVID-19–that is a disgrace that should shame most public health officials (there are a few that have had the integrity to tell some scientific facts about nutrients that can help, like zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D, etc.).

Here is something I posted a couple of days ago at my company’s Facebook page related to vitamin D:

‘Vitamin D Determines Severity in COVID-19: Researchers Urge Government to Change Advice’

Saw the above headline today. I have been urging the government to change its advice related to nutrition and the novel coronavirus for some time.

Facebook posts here have covered vitamin C and zinc. Plus, because of the involvement in blood clots and COVID-19 deaths, nattokinase is something that many who get COVID-19 should consider taking.

Anyway, the vitamin D article (https://scitechdaily.com/vitamin-d-determines-severity-in-…/) had the following:

“Researchers from Trinity College Dublin are calling on the government in Ireland to change recommendations for vitamin D supplements.

“A new publication from Dr. Eamon Laird and Professor Rose Anne Kenny, School of Medicine, and the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), in collaboration with Professor Jon Rhodes at University of Liverpool, highlights the association between vitamin D levels and mortality from COVID-19.

“The authors of the article, just published in the Irish Medical Journal, analyzed all European adult population studies, completed since 1999, which measured vitamin D and compared vitamin D and death rates from COVID-19.

“The correlation between low vitamin D levels and death from COVID-19 is statistically significant.

“The authors propose that, whereas optimizing vitamin D levels will certainly benefit bone and muscle health, the data suggests that it is also likely to reduce serious COVID-19 complications. This may be because vitamin D is important in regulation and suppression of the inflammatory cytokine response, which causes the severe consequences of COVID-19 and ‘acute respiratory distress syndrome’ associated with ventilation and death.”

Instead of mainly using fear and fear tactics, governments should encourage people to boost their innate immunity. This can be done by encouraging people to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C, foods high in zinc, and getting, when appropriate, sunlight exposure to increase vitamin D levels.

In my case, in addition to all of the preceding, I take also take 100% food nutrient supplements high in vitamin C, Zinc, Vitamin D, selenium, and other nutrients which I believe supports a health immune system.

Here is something I posted several weeks ago at my company’s Facebook page related to vitamin C:

Notice the following headline and article from “LiveScience.com”:

“Why vitamin C won’t ‘boost’ your immune system against the coronavirus

“It poses little risk but is very unlikely to help.

“March 10, 2020
“The myth, the legend

“Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, became known as an immune-boosting supernutrient after two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling touted the substance’s supposed benefits in a series of books, …

“Since Pauling published his books, in the 1970s, his bolder claims have not stood up to scientific scrutiny. However, recent research does suggest that vitamin C supplements reduce the duration of colds in the general population, according to a 2013 review of several dozen studies.

“The review found that vitamin C supplements taken during a cold can reduce the duration of the illness by 8% in adults and 14% in children. …

“Several of the reviewed studies included people under intense physical stress, including marathon runners and soldiers training in the Arctic. Among these individuals, those who took vitamin C were about half as likely to catch a cold as those who did not take such supplements. But in the general population, the supplements did not prevent the common cold.

“Likewise, no evidence suggests that vitamin C supplements can help prevent COVID-19, Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee, told New York Times Parenting.

“If there’s going to be an advantage, it’s going to be very modest,” Schaffner said. https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-vitamin-c-myth.html“

Notice that the headline stated “Why vitamin C won’t ‘boost’ your immune system against the coronavirus,” yet some of the article details actually suggest otherwise. Also notice that right after stating a study found a 50% reduction in getting a cold, the article claims that is “no evidence,” and that vitamin C could only help a “modest” amount.

Wouldn’t people want even modest protection?

Furthermore, note what else that same article contains:

“Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, meaning it neutralizes free radicals generated by the body’s normal metabolism and by exposure to environmental stressors, including ultraviolet radiation and air pollution. Free radicals are charged particles that can damage cells, tissues and genetic material if left unchecked, and thus trigger harmful inflammation. …

“Vitamin C may also bolster the fatty membranes in skin and connective tissue, thus protecting organs like the lungs from pathogens, according to cell culture and preclinical studies. When bugs do infiltrate the body, vitamin C helps direct immune cells called neutrophils to the site of infection and defends these cells against free radicals, the 2017 report noted.

“In short, the body relies on vitamin C to launch an effective immune response while sustaining minimal damage.”

So, the same article states that vitamin C helps protect the lungs and helps the human body launch an “effective immune response.”

Is that not what people would want when facing a respiratory pathogen like COVID-19?

The same article also has the following:

“Be wary of hype and headlines”

“While vitamin C supplements pose little risk to consumers, other so-called “immune-boosting” products could be harmful. …

“Note that no evidence suggests that other so-called immune-boosting supplements — such as zinc, green tea or echinacea — help to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections, Dr. Mark Mulligan, division director of the infectious diseases and vaccine center at NYU Langone Medical Center, told New York Times Parenting. “I do not recommend spending money on supplements for this purpose,” Mulligan said.

“The medical profession still doesn’t know exactly how to influence the immune system, despite what supplement products may claim,” Julie Stefanski, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, told The Washington Post.

“The FDA does not vet dietary supplements as it does pharmaceutical medications; that means that supplement manufacturers can place new products on the market without first proving that the substances are either safe or effective.”

Let’s look at some of the above as there are inaccuracies and misimpressions.

First, the claim that there is “no evidence” that certain substances, like Zinc can help is wrong. While there probably have not been specific studies for it against the coronavirus, low zinc levels do make one more susceptible to infection (Ross AC, et al, editors. Modern Nutrition in Health & Disease, 11th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Balt., 2014; Cunnane SC. Zinc: Clinical and Biochemical Significance. CRC Press, Boca Raton (FL), 1988). And as far as echinacea goes, there are many published studies pointing to it being helpful for respiratory viruses (e.g. Vimalanathan S, Schoop R, Suter A, Hudson J. Prevention of influenza virus induced bacterial superinfection by standardized Echinacea purpurea, via regulation of surface receptor expression in human bronchial epithelial cells. Virus Res. 2017 Apr 2;233:51-59).

Second, yes, there are major gaps of knowledge in the “medical profession” on how to influence the immune system. Part of the reason for that is that it looks to synthetic medicines as opposed to foods to do that.

Third, the FDA does NOT allow new ingredients for dietary supplements to go to the market. Only ingredients that were in use by 1994 are allowed without extensive FDA review. To suggest that the FDA allows supplement manufacturers to legally include ingredients it knows is unsafe is false.

It has been speculated that the inability to properly maintain vitamin C levels may increase problems associated with COVID-19:

“Oxidation of vitamin C

“While vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant itself by virtue of its ability to donate two electrons to unbalanced atoms, vitamin C is vulnerable to oxidation itself.

“While it is commonly said vitamin C blood levels are solely determined by dietary intake (fruits, vitamin pills), some is determined genetically by the type of haptoglobin that is predominant.

“Haptoglobin & vitamin C

“The type of unstable haptoglobin that leads to the oxidation of vitamin C is very prevalent among Asians.

“Unstable haptoglobin is prevalent in up to 56.4% of Chinese males and females, whereas the two more stable forms are distributed in 10% and 33.6% of genetic groups in Chinese populations. The more stable form of HAPTO-G is prevalent among 35% of Caucasians.

“Vitamin C blood concentrations are lower among Asians with unstable Hapto-G. Among individuals who don’t consume the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin C from their diet, the likelihood a person will be vitamin C-deficient is ~3-fold greater among individuals who inherit the unstable form of HAPTO-G.

“Because unstable HAPTO-G does not as efficiently bind to iron, blood storage levels of iron (ferritin) are obviously higher among many Asians.

“Haptoglobin & viral growth

“Stable HAPTO-G controls growth of viruses and bacteria.

“Mortality rates are higher among virally-infected individuals with unstable HAPTO-G.

“Among virally-infected adults, median survival was 7.3 years in the unstable haptoglobin group vs. 11.0 years for the stable HAPTO-G group. 03/07/20 https://www.lewrockwell.com/…/health-inheritance-asians-ha…/ “

While I am not certain all the above is totally accurate (nor is it clear about the prevalence of disorders of vitamin C metabolism in subgroups of populations), it does give some additional speculation as to why some may be at greater risk of death from COVID-19 than others–though, from what I have seen, age seems to be a greater factor in mortality.

Now, notice another article warning about vitamin C and the coronavirus. This one was in the “Fact Check” column at Google News today:

“Coronavirus: it’s time to debunk claims that vitamin C could cure it

“March 9, 2020

“Vitamin C is a common remedy that some people believe will cure the common cold and flu. Although it helps us maintain good immune function, there’s little evidence that it can prevent or substantially reduce either of these diseases. But in the midst of the novel coronavirus outbreak, some “influencers” are claiming that taking mega-doses of vitamin C can cure COVID-19 (the disease caused by novel coronavirus).

“So let’s cut to the chase. Can vitamin C cure the coronavirus? Considering that novel coronavirus belongs to the same family of viruses – coronaviruses – as the common cold and flu, it’s unlikely that taking vitamin C will prevent or cure you of a COVID-19 infection. …

“Although vitamin C doesn’t have miraculous disease-curing properties, some research has also shown it can help the immune system fight off bacteria and viruses. Its role in protecting against viral infections was shown in a recent review which found that immune cells need vitamin C to produce proteins that activate the immune system throughout the body against virus attacks. …

“Vitamin C is plentiful in many fruits and vegetables, including oranges, broccoli and potatoes. …

“Though I have said vitamin C is unlikely to be a dramatic cure for COVID-19, the fact that it can promote good immune function means it would be going too far to say there will be no effect. …

“Even if intravenous vitamin C works to shorten or cure COVID-19, it will likely only be a stop-gap before therapies directed at the virus, such as vaccinations, take over. The most effective way to avoid the virus still remains washing hands, not touching the eyes, nose or mouth, and keeping your distance from anyone exhibiting symptoms. http://theconversation.com/coronavirus-its-time-to-debunk-c… “

So, yes, vitamin C can be helpful. And the above article suggests that perhaps it should be used until the medical profession can come up with something else.

How helpful?

Well, although I do not consider taking a lot of the isolate known as ascorbic acid is optimal–as I believe it is much better in foods or supplements which are 100% food, without added USP isolates, the government in Shanghai, China officially sees a use for it:

“Shanghai Government Officially Recommends Vitamin C for COVID-19

“The government of Shanghai, China has announced its official recommendation that COVID-19 should be treated with high amounts of intravenous vitamin C. (1)

“Dosage recommendations vary with severity of illness, from 50 to 200 milligrams per kilogram body weight per day to as much as 200 mg/kg/day.

“These dosages are approximately 4,000 to 16,000 mg for an adult, administered by IV. …

“An official statement from Xi’an Jiaotong University Second Hospital (2) reads:

“On the afternoon of February 20, 2020, another 4 patients with severe new coronaviral pneumonia recovered from the C10 West Ward of Tongji Hospital. In the past 8 patients have been discharged from hospital…

“[H]igh-dose vitamin C achieved good results in clinical applications. We believe that for patients with severe neonatal pneumonia and critically ill patients, vitamin C treatment should be initiated as soon as possible after admission…

“[E]arly application of large doses of vitamin C can have a strong antioxidant effect, reduce inflammatory responses, and improve endothelial function… Numerous studies have shown that the dose of vitamin C has a lot to do with the effect of treatment…

“[H]gh-dose vitamin C can not only improve antiviral levels, but more importantly, can prevent and treat acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress (ARDS).” 03/08/20 https://humansarefree.com/…/shanghai-government-officially-… “

While I am NOT recommending those amounts as a preventative, the Shanghai government sees this as a treatment. Shanghai is 4-5 hours away from Wuhan via a high speed train. Wuhan is where the first cases of COVID-19 seem to have been identified.

Considering what we DO KNOW about vitamin C and the immune system, the press and medical people should be telling everyone that they should at least consider eating two or three servings of fruit per day, as opposed to ‘debunking’ information about vitamin C.

Anyway, when I was asked in an interview for a new television program last month about supporting the immune system in the era of the novel coronavirus, I commented that I felt consuming foods high in vitamin C, such as citurs fruits, could be helpful. This morning, for example, I had two tangerines for breakfast. I also take a 100% food nutrient supplement of vitamin C each evening. Now this is NOT a change in response to COVOD-19 as I have tended to have citrus fruit or juice for breakfast for years and have consumed a food vitamin C supplement (https://doctorsresearch.com/fr-products/1192/c-complex/) for even more years.

Part of the reason is that I tend to touch sick people most days and want my immune system to function well. As I rarely ‘catch’ what sick people have, I consider that evidence of the wisdom of food vitamin C (I also take a 100% food zinc supplement, https://doctorsresearch.com/fr-products/1601/zinc-complex/, every evening and have done that for many years as well).

And, yes, I consider that vitamin C in foods, like citrus and acerola cherries, is superior than in products that have isolated USP ascorbic acid. And the supplement I personally take contains only citrus and acerola cherries for its vitamin C.

Anyway, the truth is that eating at least two servings of fruit per day is good for your health. I tend to think that three or more servings is better and tend to do that most days.

While that is NOT a guarantee that one will not get sick or not be infected with COVID-19, it, in my opinion is a wise thing to do.

People should be encouraged to eat more fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C.

So, yes, I believe that people can support their innate immunity with properly advised 100% food nutrients.

Prayer and fasting (by those who can) is something else I have been encouraging.

And what about herbs?

Years ago, I wrote the following paper:

There are numerous viruses and the number of them that affect human beings seems to increase each year.  Historically, various oriental and occidental herbs have been used to support the immune system in order to help the human body cope with them, and sometimes drive them into “permanent remission.”

Consumption of combinations of herbs, such as those listed here, have been resulted in hearing clinical reports of driving herpes into “permanent remission,” greatly reduce symptoms associated with the common cold & pneumonia, eliminating/minimizing cold sores, help those with various forms of hepatitis, and otherwise cope with viruses.   These herbs are generally not recommended for pregnant nor lactating women nor infants.

Angelica Bai zhi: In traditional Chinese medicine it is believed to “expel wind-cold, alleviate pain – supraorbital pain, congestion, toothache -clears swelling, expel pus – early stage, carbuncles, sores, ulcer -expel dampness – leucorrhea  -opens nasal passages for nasal congestion” [1].  Because of its abortive potential, etc. it is not advised during pregnancy.  One study found that a version of it “exhibited some anti-HIV activity” [2].  One of its components has been found to have a “synergistic effect with Combivir” [3], an anti-AIDS drug.

Bupleurum Chai hui:   “Saikosaponins, the main active constituents of Bupleurum spp., have been shown to possess immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, anti-tumor and anti-viral activities… saikosaponin c exhibits anti-HBV activity” [4].  WebMD states, “Bupleurum is used for respiratory infections, including the flu (influenza), swine flu, the common cold, bronchitis, and pneumonia; and symptoms of these infections, including fever and cough” [5].  Based upon its effects on the H1N1 virus, one study concluded that an extract could “be developed as an antivirus agent” [6].  One variety was found to possess anti-viral effects against the coxsackie B virus type 1 [7].

Coptis Huang Lian: “Coptis is a small, perennial herb found in North America, Greenland, Iceland and Siberia… Coptis was originally used by Native Americans to treat canker sores and mouth sores. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used for gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea, hypertension, and bacterial infections. The plant’s roots contain berberine, which can be used as an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, and berberine-like alkaloids which are believed to facilitate healing” [8].   It is sometimes called Canker root.  Coptis has been found to have protective anti-viral effects on cells [2].  It also appears to have inhibitory effects on certain viruses [9,10].   One study reported that it reduced inflammation of the colon [11].

Forsythia  Lian qiao: Forsythia  has been found to work “by indirectly suppressing the virus proliferation via regulating the immune systems in hosts, and also, by directly inhibiting virus proliferation through targeting viral proteins essential for the viral life cycle” [12].  It contains a substance which “inhibits the avian infectious bronchitis virus” at least in vitro [13].   It also contains a substance that was found to have anti-respiratory syncytial virus replication effects in vitro [14].

Gardenia Zhi zi: “According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, gardenia …purges heat; dispels damp heat; disperses fire; and cools blood” [15].  One study found that gardenia had the most protective anti-viral effects on cells of various herbs tested [2].   One study found that components of it had moderate inhibitory affects against the H1N1 virus [16].  Gardenia has been found to have many substances that may contribute to its anti-influenza properties [17].  Another study found that at least one of its components had protective effects on cells exposed to an influenza-type virus [18].  An animal study concluded that at least one of its components may  exert an inhibition effect of viral replication on herpes [19].  Another animal study found that “six kinds of viruses were inhibited significantly…influenza viral pneumonia” [20].  “Gardenia jasminoids Ellis (Rubiaceae), and has been widely used to treat acute hepatitis with jaundice” and in combination with other herbs has been found to protect cells from viral infection as well as “to inhibit infections by HSV-1 and HSV-2 and this effect was likely mediated through direct inactivation of the virus infectivity” [21].  Gardenia also contains a carotenoid called c rocetin which has been found to prevent retinal damage in vitro and in vivo [22].

Glycerrhiza Gan cao:  Is also known as licorice.  WebMD reports, “Licorice is used for various digestive system complaints including stomach ulcers, heartburn, colic, and ongoing inflammation of the lining of the stomach (chronic gastritis).  Some people use licorice for sore throat, bronchitis, cough, and infections caused by bacteria or viruses” [23].  Licorice, even “low appropriate doses, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, anti-tumor, antimicrobial and anti-viral properties have been reported by researchers worldwide” [24].  Various forms have been found to be “effective against HRSV infection on airway epithelial cells. Radix Glycyrrhizae inhibited HRSV mainly by preventing viral attachment, internalization, and by stimulating IFN secretion” [25].

Lonicera Jin yin hua:  Is also known as honeysuckle.  WebMD states, “Honeysuckle is used for digestive disorders including pain and swelling (inflammation) of the small intestine (enteritis) and dysentery; upper respiratory tract infections including colds, influenza, swine flu, and pneumonia; other viral and bacterial infections; swelling of the brain (encephalitis); fever; boils; and sores. Honeysuckle is also used for urinary disorders, headache, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Some people use it to promote sweating, as a laxative, to counteract poisoning, and for birth control” [26].  Lonicera has been found to work “by indirectly suppressing the virus proliferation via regulating the immune systems in hosts, and also, by directly inhibiting virus proliferation through targeting viral proteins essential for the viral life cycle” [2].  Components seem to have anti-influenza virus effects [27].  Lonicera has at least one component that have been found to be effective in inhibiting chronic hepatitis C virus infection [28].

Magnolia Xin yi hua:  “In traditional Chinese medicine, magnolia flower has pungent and warm properties, and is associated with the Lung and Stomach meridians. Magnolia flower is typically used to treat nasal conditions, such as stuffy nose, nasal obstructions, congestion, and sinus headaches” [29].  A substance contained in magnolia has “been shown to inhibit hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in vitro…It… inhibits HCV infection by targeting cell entry and replication” [30].
Moutan Mu dan pi:  Also known as peony.  One study concluded that a peony extract “could be beneficial at preventing HRSV infection by inhibiting viral attachment, internalization, and stimulating IFN secretion” (Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus) [31].  One or more substances in its root is believed to be an effective agent against the hepatitis B virus [32].  One study of herbs found that peony was amongst those that “possess the strongest anti-Coxsackie virus B3 activity on viral replication” [33].  Related to herpes simplex, an “extract of Paeonia suffruticosa prevented the process of virus attachment and penetration” [34].

Olive Leaf  Oleo europaea: Olive leaf extract (OLE) “inhibits acute infection and cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1 as assayed by syncytia formation using uninfected MT2 cells co-cultured with HIV-1-infected H9 T lymphocytes. OLE also inhibits HIV-1 replication as assayed by p24 expression in infected H9 cells. These anti-HIV effects of OLE are dose dependent, with EC(50)s of around 0.2 microg/ml. In the effective dose range, no cytotoxicity on uninfected target cells was detected” [36]. “The antimicrobial potential of eight phenolic compounds isolated from olive cake was tested against the growth of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus cereus, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. The phenolic compounds included p-hydroxy benzoic, vanillic, caffeic, protocatechuic, syringic, and p-coumaric acids, oleuropein and quercetin. Caffeic and protocatechuic acids (0.3 mg/ml) inhibited the growth of E. coli and K. pneumoniae. The same compounds apart from syringic acid (0.5 mg/ml) completely inhibited the growth of B. cereus. Oleuropein, and p-hydroxy benzoic, vanillic and p-coumaric acids (0.4 mg/ml) completely inhibited the growth of E. coli, K. pneumoniae and B. cereus. Vanillic and caffeic acids (0.2 mg/ml) completely inhibited the growth and aflatoxin production by both A. flavus and A. parasiticus, whereas the complete inhibition of the moulds was attained with 0.3 mg/ml p-hydroxy benzoic, protocatechuic, syringic, and p-coumaric acids and quercetin” [36]. Research has concluded that oleuropein “showed significant antiviral activities against” respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza type 3 virus” [37] and “can possess antibacterial action” [38].  It is believed that oleuropein from olive leaves is converted into elenolic acid in the body—elenolic compounds are believed to have “a killer effect against many viruses, bacteria and other microbes” [39]. “Upjohn found that one of the ingredients of olive leaf extract, calcium elenolate, destroyed every harmful virus, bacteria, yeast, fungi and protozoan it was exposed to in vitro,” but that it lasted only minutes in vivo [39]—that is one of the reasons why concentrated olive leaf Food should be better for humans than any of its isolated components.

Phellodendrum Huang bai: “The name “huang bai” comes from the bright yellow color of the plant’s inner bark, which is used in herbal preparations… In traditional Chinese medicine, phellodendron bark is considered to have bitter and cold properties, and is associated with the Kidney and Bladder meridians. Its main functions are to drain damp heat and kidney fire. Among the conditions it is used to treat are diarrhea, dysentery, swollen joints in the legs, and jaundice. Phellodendron bark is often used in conjunction with other herbs” [40].   Phellodendrum has been found to have “antiviral activity on herpes simplex virus” [41].  An extract was found to have anti-coronaviral effects [42].

Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica: It has been used to support healthy lungs and sinuses [35,43].  “A study concerning a lectin present found in nettle suggest a potent and selective inhibitor for HIV and cytomegalovirus replication” [43].

Vitex Man jing zi:  Also known as chaste tree.  “Chaste tree is reportedly effective in treating endocrine disorders” [43].  Extracts have exerted “intracellular antiviral activity” and  ” inhibited virus propagation” [44].

Wild Oregano Origanum vulgare: The PDR for Herbal Medicines states that its “essential oil, which contains carvacrol, is antimicrobial in vitro” and that “Oregano herb is used for respiratory disorders such as coughs, inflammation of the mucous membranes, and as an expectorant…In China, Oregano is used for colds, fevers, vomiting, dysentary, jaundice, and malnutrition for children” [45]. “Origanum oil…possesses a broad spectrum of in vitro antimicrobial activities attributed to the high content of phenolic derivatives such as carvacrol and thymol…Using Candida albicans in broth cultures and a micro dilution method, comparative efficacy of origanum oil…in vitro. Origanum oil at 0.25 mg/ml was found to completely inhibit the growth of C. albicans in culture…mice fed origanum oil exhibited cosmetically better clinical appearance compared to those cured with carvacrol. The results from our study encourage examination of the efficacy of origanum oil in other forms of systemic and superficial fungal infections and exploration of its broad spectrum effect against other pathogenic manifestations including malignancy,”  especially with an olive extract [46].

Xanthium Cang er zi: “In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used to dispel wind and damp, and is one of the most important herbs used for sinus congestion, chronic nasal obstructions and discharges, and respiratory allergies” [47].  Xanthium components have been found to have antibacterial and cytotoxic properties [48].

References

[1] Bai zhi—angelica root.  TCM Herb Pictures.  http://tcm.health-info.org/Herbology.Materia.Medica/baizhi-properties.htm  viewed 07/11/13
[2] Kato T, Horie N, Matsuta T, Naoki U, Shimoyama T, Kaneko T, Kanamoto T, Terakubo S, Nakashima H, Kusama K, Sakagami H.  Anti-UV/HIV activity of Kampo medicines and constituent plant extracts.  In Vivo. 2012 Nov-Dec;26(6):1007-13
[3] Yang T, Jia M, Yue Z, Cheng Y, Zhang X, Huang J, Zhou S, Mei Q. Synergistic antivirus effect of combined administration of Combivir with Angelica polysaccharide sulfate. Int J Biol Macromol. 2013 Feb;53:122-6.
[4] Chiang LC, Ng LT, Liu LT, Shieh DE, Lin CC.  Cytotoxicity and anti-hepatitis B virus activities of saikosaponins from Bupleurum species.  Planta Med. 2003 Aug;69(8):705-9
[5] Bupleurum. WebMD. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-650-BUPLEURUM.aspx?activeIngredientId=650&activeIngredientName=BUPLEURUM viewed 07/11/13
[6] Wen S, Huifu X, Hao H.  In vitro anti-influenza A H1N1 effect of extract of Bupleuri Radix.  Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2011 Sep;33(3):433-7
[7] Cheng PW, Chiang LC, Yen MH, Lin CC.  Bupleurum kaoi inhibits Coxsackie B virus type 1 infection of CCFS-1 cells by induction of type I interferons expression.  Food Chem Toxicol. 2007 Jan;45(1):24-31
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Some of these studies (or citations) may not conform to peer review standards, therefore, the results are not conclusive. Professionals can, and often do, come to different conclusions when reviewing scientific data. None of these statements have been reviewed by the FDA.

While the paper was directed towards the coronavirus, it should be clear that there has been research on the use of herbs to help the immune systems of people battling various viruses. Including many not mentioned in my paper that we also have at our office.

Anyway, improving one’s diet, as well as avoiding biblically unclean meat, remains a wise thing to do (see also The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats).

Sadly, instead of focusing on how people can improve their health and strengthen their immune systems, the approach from most Western government leaders and ‘experts’ have been pushing is  basically fear, ridiculing natural immune support options, and encouraging the expansion of government control over people’s lives. This has also been the means repeatedly pushed by the mainstream media to deal with aspects of the coronavirus.

But, while herbs and nutrients will not assure you cannot get infected, supporting the immune system is logical.

Some in Ghana have taken a logical approach.

Speaking of Ghana, we in the Continuing Church of God now have a version of our English language booklet, Should You Keep God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays?, in Asante Twi, a language used in Ghana.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans? 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.
Does God Heal Today? This historical article is by Herbert Armstrong and provides his views on healing circa 1952, which he seemed to later modify, at least to some degree.
Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach? This contains 28 biblically-based tips on improving the effectiveness of your prayers. This is a pdf. A related two part sermon is available: What Does the Bible Teach About Prayer? and What does the Bible Teach About Prayer (& Healing)?
The Bible, Christians, and the Environment How should Christians view the environment? Does the Bible give any clues? What are some of the effects of air, water, and land pollution? Is environmental pollution a factor in autism and death? Do pollutants seem to double the autism risk? What will Jesus do? Here is a link to a related sermon:  Christians and the Environment (there is also a YouTube video available titled Air Pollution, Autism, and Prophecy and one titled Will Pollution lead to the End?).
UK Study Supports Daniel Diet Daniel and his companions looked better eating more vegetables and avoiding strange meats. Has modern science confirmed this?
The New Testament Church, History, 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; a short video is also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food?
Ten Steps to Rid Yourself of Fear This is a vastly expanded version of a shorter article by the late Dr. Herman Hoeh on getting past fear. Here is a link to a related sermon: Ten Plus Steps to Rid Yourself of Fear.
Christian courage vs. cowardice As you courageous? What biblically is cowardice? Do YOU really understand this? Two sermons related to this article are available and are titled Courage and Cowardice and Cowardice and Overcoming Fear. A Spanish language article is also available: Valor Cristiano vs Cobardía.
Should Christians Smoke Tobacco or Marijuana? Is smoking a sin? What does the Bible teach? What have COG leaders written? Can smokers change? What about marijuana?
Marijuana: Should a Christian Get High? There is increasing acceptance of the use of marijuana. How should Christians view this? Here is a related video titled How Should a Christian View Marijuana?
Alcohol: Blessing or Curse? This is an article from the old Good News magazine that attempts to answer this question.
Binge Drinking, Health, and the Bible Many college students and others overindulge in alcohol. Are there health risks? What does the Bible teach? A related video is also available: Binge Drinking and the Bible.
Obesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned? What diseases are associated with eating too much refined foods? A related video would be Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
The New Testament Church, History, 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; a short video is also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food?
Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Here is a link to a related sermon: Fourth Horseman, COVID, and the Rise of the Beast of Revelation. Some shorter related videos may include Amphibian Apocalypse: Threat to Humans? and Zombie Deer Disease is Here! Are the 10 Plagues on Egypt Coming? Here is a version of the article in Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
COVID 19 is NOT the End, but could it be TEOTWAWKI? The novel coronavirus called COVID-19 is wreaking havoc around the world. Many states of the USA as well as countries in Europe are on lockdown with shelter in place /shelter in residence requirements. In France, a form is required when you are not at your house. In Spain, drones are being used to warn people who are outside to got back to their homes–does that bring up feelings of ‘Big Brother’? Italy, France, and other areas are using police and/or military force to encourage people to stay inside. According to the Bible could this be the end? If not, what has to happen first? Have the second and third of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse started their ride? Could COVID-19 be the fourth horseman? Why or why not? Could we be seeing The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) like the R.E.M.’s 1987 single song discussed? Do Christians need to fear? What did Jesus teach? What did the Psalmist teach? This is a video. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: Corona 19 no es el final PERO es el TEOTWAWKI.
COVID-19 Leading to 666? The novel coronavirus of Wuhan, China fame, is now called COVID-19. It has also been called the ‘Coronapocalypse.’ Does COVID-19 have any prophetic ramifications? What did Jesus teach about pestilences and sorrows in the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24? Could COVID-19 be the ride of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse? Why was this type of disease expected according to the O. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: ld Testament prophecies in Deuteronomy and Leviticus? What has the US Centers for Disease Control warned about? What has the CDC reported about the flu? Were there lessons about fear and infections in the 2011 movie ‘Contagion’? Because of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO), nation of Iran, and certain French locations are telling people not to use cash, but instead electronic forms of payment. The US Federal Reserve is now quarantining money repatriated from Asia to reduce the potential spread of the coronavirus on US currency bills. Is COVID-19 worse than we have been told or could this all be a ‘false flag’ event to encourage people to move towards a cashless society? If the thousands of deaths associated with COVID-19 are pushing parts of the world towards cashlessness, how much more likely will the ride of the fourth horseman and over a billion human deaths motivate people to move to making electronic payments that can be monitored? The Bible tells of a soon coming society that controls buying and selling to force allegiance to a coming European Beast power, known as 666 (Revelation 13:16-18). Does the ‘great tribulation’ begin before ride of the fourth horseman or with the opening of the fifth seal of Revelation 6? Do the words of Jesus helps us better understand the sequence of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and the start of the Great Tribulation? Will the ride of the fourth horseman help lead to the rise of 666? Is that ride very close? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: El COVID-19 ¿Conduce al 666?
Biological Warfare and Prophecy Is biological warfare possible? Was it prophesied? Scientists have long warned that pathogenic organisms like the coronavirus could be weaponized. Furthermore, back in 2017, there were concerns that the biological research facility being constructed in Wuhan, China was risky and that a coronavirus from it could be released. On January 25, 2020, China’s President Xi Jinping publicly stated that the situation with the Wuhan-related strain of the coronavirus was grave. Did Church of God writers like the late evangelist Raymond McNair warn that engineered viruses (the “Doomsday bug”) were consistent with prophecies from Jesus? Did a warning from CCOG leader Bob Thiel warn about risks of genetically-modified (GMO) mosquitoes come to pass? Could human research and/or the consumption of biblically-unclean animals such as bats and snakes be a factor in current outbreaks or coming future pestilences? What about famines? How devastating have pestilences been? How devastating are the prophesied ones going to be? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.
Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something? Here is a version in the Spanish language Escrituras sobre Preparación física para los Cristianos. Here is a link to a related sermon: Physical preparedness for Christians.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
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.

(Photos by Lorie Shaull and Hungryogrephotos)

COGwriter

Rioting and looting has been happening the past several nights after most peaceful protesters related to the George Floyd police killing go home:

June 2, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — American cities erupted in violence and destruction in a seventh straight night of unrest, with several police officers shot or run over, amid boasts and threats from President Donald Trump to send in troops to “dominate the streets.”

In New York, nonviolent protests Monday night were punctuated by people smashing shop windows near Rockefeller Center and breaching the doors of Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street, littering the pavement with broken glass. A vehicle plowed through a group of law enforcement officers at a demonstration in Buffalo, injuring at least two.

Demonstrations also broke out in such places as Philadelphia, where hundreds of protesters spilled onto a highway in the heart of the city; Atlanta, where police fired tear gas at demonstrators; and Nashville, where more than 60 National Guard members put down their riot shields at the request of peaceful protesters who had gathered in front of Tennessee’s Capitol to honor George Floyd. https://apnews.com/697d654ea64f3370f373aacfca2da950

Here, for another example, is a report from Florida:

June 2, 2020

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Four people were arrested overnight in St. Petersburg and accused of inciting a riot.

According to police, weapons were found in an SUV with three of the people arrested.

An image provided by police showed a gas canister, glass bottles, bricks, a bag of large rocks and a metal pipe.

All of those items could have been used as projectiles, according to police.

The arrests came after several hours of peaceful protests until a crowd of about 150 gathered outside police headquarters around 1 a.m.

Authorities also arrested Anthony Koedel, 29, who they called one of the protest organizers. He also is facing charges of inciting a riot.

During the protest, several cars drove through concrete barricades meant to block off 1st Avenue North. Police shot smoke bombs to disperse the crowd. https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2020/06/02/police–4-arrested-at-protest–charged-with-inciting-a-riot

Thousands have been arrested across the USA related to the protests, looting, and rioting.

US President Donald Trump wants to involve the US military, whereas his presumed Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden has taken a different stand:

June 2, 2020

WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has expressed concern “for the very soul of our country” after President Donald Trump vowed Monday to use the military to end “the riots and lawlessness” that have broken out across the United States in the aftermath of the death of a black man who died in police custody one week ago in Minneapolis.

In a nationally televised address in the White House Rose Garden, the president warned that “if a city or state refuses to take the actions necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”

The comment was an apparent reference to the 1807 Insurrection Act, which allows presidents to quell lawlessness during emergencies.  The law was most recently used in 1992 amid rioting in Los Angeles after another African-American man, Rodney King, was beaten by police.

Trump said he was “mobilizing all available federal resources, civilian and military, to stop the rioting and looting, to end the destruction and arson, and to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans, including your Second Amendment rights.” The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of all American citizens to own firearms.

Just before the president spoke, reporters awaiting his remarks in the Rose Garden could hear loud explosions from volleys of tear gas fired around Lafayette Park, where riot police holding shields aloft pushed back peaceful demonstrators. Rubber bullets were also fired, and police on horseback were brought in to clear the area.

The movement by law enforcement came less than a half-hour before a 7 p.m. curfew went into effect for Washington.

The action cleared the way — but not the smell of the tear gas — around St. John’s Church, a block north of the White House, to which Trump walked just minutes after the curfew went into effect. The historic Episcopal Church, known in Washington as “the church of the presidents,” suffered minor damage Sunday evening when a small fire was set in its basement.

In front of the boarded-up church, Trump held up a Bible, referred to the United States as the “greatest country in the world,” and said, “we’re going to keep it safe.”  …

The president, according to Defense Department officials, has ordered the Army to deploy an active duty military police battalion for Washington, the single jurisdiction where the military can do so without first consulting the governor of a state.

National Guard forces

All 1,200 National Guard forces in the nation’s capital have been mobilized, and five states were quickly sending between 600 and 800 additional Guard troops, some armed with lethal weapons, according to officials.

Additional U.S. active duty troops, including military police and engineering units, have been placed on standby outside the District of Columbia but are poised to move in if necessary, officials say.

Late Monday night, a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter flew low over the rooftops of Washington’s historic Chinatown district in a “show of force” maneuver, sending protesters scattering to avoid the dust and debris kicked up by the helicopter’s rotors, which also snapped the branches off trees. …

Trump calls governors ‘weak’

Earlier Monday, governors received a lecture from Trump, the defense secretary and the attorney general, exhorting them to get tough  with  unruly protesters on the  streets of  America’s  cities.

In a conference call with governors about the  violent  demonstrations across the country, the leaders of the states were sharply criticized by the president.

“Most of you are weak,” the president told  them, according to an audio recording of the call.  “You have to dominate. If you don’t dominate,  you’re wasting your time. They’re going to run over you, you’re going to look like a bunch of jerks.”

Trump is facing criticism for not adopting the traditional presidential role  of “consoler-in-chief”  since the death of African-American George  Floyd  while in  police custody in Minneapolis,  prompted a national outpouring of agony and anger.

The president, instead, has spent time on Twitter  attacking  Biden, other Democratic politicians and lumping them in with the far-left radicals he blames for the violence in recent days. …

Trump  and the White House are blaming  the violence  on a loose coalition of far-left activists, known as  “antifa” (for anti-fascist), whose members campaign against what they view as acts of authoritarianism, homophobia, racism or xenophobia.

The  Republican  president warned on Twitter  earlier  that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Trump  later denied that the phrase was a warning that vandals would be shot and said he did not know it had been used prominently by Miami’s police chief in 1967 in  response to violent crime  in  black neighborhoods.

“It’s a movement that if you don’t put it down it’ll get worse and worse,”  said Trump  to  the governors  Monday. “These are radicals and they are anarchists.”  https://www.voanews.com/usa/biden-decries-trumps-mobilization-military-resources-quell-protests

George Floyd should have been treated better, and certainly not killed, while under police custody. But even his death does not justify violent riots, destruction of property, and theft–which is part of what has been happening.

When I watched how the mainstream media was selectively covering the George Floyd matter early on Thursday, it seemed like it was encouraging riots. And the situation worsened since then.

But they have also been provoked by people with racist agendas.

Black racists have called for the shooting of white people, the stealing of property, and the destruction of businesses.

White racists have also fueled the fire by pretending to be on the side of the protesters. Notice the following example of that:

June 2, 2020

New York (CNN Business) A Twitter account that tweeted a call to violence and claimed to be representing the position of “Antifa” was in fact created by a known white supremacist group, Twitter said Monday. The company removed the account.

Although the account only had a few hundred followers, it is an example of white supremacists seeking to inflame tensions in the United States by posing as left-wing activists online. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/02/tech/antifa-fake-twitter-account/index.html

The flames of violent protest has been fanned by the media, academia, criminals, racists, and various government officials. Criminals seem to like to use protests as an excuse for brazen looting.

Jesus spoke of a time of troubles (Mark 13:8) and violence (Matthew 24:6-7). The Book of Revelation tells of the time of the ride of the red horseman of war.

In December 2019, I posted an article titled 20 items to prophetically watch in 2020. Here is something from number 7 of those items:

Notice how the Orthodox Jewish Bible translates the first half of Matthew 24:7:

For there will be an intifada of ethnic group against ethnic group, …

We expect to see more wars, rumors of war, and civil unrest.

We are seeing this. “Intifada” essentially means rebellion or uprising. We have seen that in these recent protests and riots.

Some people seem to want race wars, though most in the USA (irrespective of race) do not.

When I see the signs and chants of “No Justice, No Peace,” I recoil as that sounds like an unpeaceful threat. The following scriptures come to mind:

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17-21)

1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

We are to do good as well as pray that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life, while understanding that we are not to take revenge.

Rioters, violent agitators, and looters do not accept these scriptures. Notice also the following scriptures:

14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:14-18)

As far as racial protests go, at risk of repeat (since I put this up last week) notice something from the old Radio Church of God, many decades ago, written by the late Garner Ted Armstrong:

“POLICE BRUTALITY!” “Poverty!” “Unequal opportunity!” “Illiteracy!” “Poor housing!” “Police Chief Parkerl” These are hurled back and forth as causes of the race riots in Los Angeles. Read, in this article, the REAL cause, and the powder keg of violence that could explode where YOU live! …

The cause: HUMAN NATURE. And remember, once again, just what IS human nature ! Human nature is a mixture of vanity, jealousy, lust and greed. Jeremiah was inspired to write, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it” (Jer. 17:9).

James said it is the NATURE of man to rebel, to riot, to fight wars! “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not , because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (Jas. 4:1-3).

The Bible is the book about human nature. It explains what human nature really IS, how it is hostile and angry toward law. The apostle Paul said, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be!” (Rom. 8 :7.) And the lusts, jealousies, resentments and frustrations of human nature are not limited to anyone race. But they are most assuredly aggravated by race hatred. …

Racial tensions in the United States are being aggravated during these modern times, not quieted. Bigotry and bias are INCREASING, not decreasing. …

The plain truth of the matter is that the family is breaking down and disintegrating among all racial communities, around the world!

And remember, too, that Almighty God seriously indicts His people ISRAEL, more than any others for this breakdown in the family! He said, through Isaiah, “As for MY people [and he was referring to the House of Israel !], children are their oppressors, and women rule over them, o my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths” (Isa. 3:12). ..broken homes-that is, homes in which one or the other parent is absent! And what effect would this have on the morals, the character, the education, the economic status of all these children?

The Watts riot is one resounding answer! …

Whether we like to believe it or not, your Bible prophesies we are headed for some of the bloodiest riots, mass uprisings, and rampant crime in our big cities that this world has ever seen! …

To a certain degree, the only reason THOUSANDS more humans do not openly steal, rob, burn or kill is the FEAR OF REPRISAL! They fear being CAUGHT at it. But when it seems EVERYONE ELSE is suddenly defying the law, it’s much easier for many people who normally might not steal to suddenly give into their inherent nature! …

Human nature IS hate, animosity toward authority, jealousy, vanity, lust and greed! Human nature IS intolerant. It is biased! It is filled with SELF, and terribly bigoted! And human nature is not limited to one race!

Dr . Robert M. Page once said, “So long as we have human nature, we shall have war.”

But God’s Word revealed the basic truth of that statement centuries before. James asks, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (Jas. 4 : 1-3). …

When a white man murders, he is a white murderer. And when a black man murders, he is a black murderer. The color of a man’s skin is only one more description of him as a person, as a human being- like his height, weight, shape, place of birth or age. But whether he is white or black, red, pink, polka dotted or blue-if he breaks the law, if he resists arrest, if he loots, robs, kills or steals, then he is guilty of LAWBREAKING – NOT “guilty” merely because he is a member of one race or another. (Armstrong GT. The RACE RIOTS of the FUTURE! Plain Truth, October 1965)

People are supposed to love one another. But many do not understand how God views race–for details, check out the online sermon: Race and Grace; Do you view race as God does?

As far as riots go, they are expected. Notice the following prophecy:

25 There shall be terror within (Deuteronomy 32:25)

As far as cities go, notice the following from prophetic writings:

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

13 … evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13)

While there can be a time for protests (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), the results of violent protests is not good.

Jesus taught:

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

We are seeing more divide in the USA and parts of it certainly appear to be intentional. Much of it is ideological. The USA is becoming less and less united and more polarized.

This will not end well for the USA (cf. Habakkuk 2:6-8; Daniel 11:39).

Here is our latest video:

14:10

Riots and the Red Horse of the Apocalypse

We are seeing riots and protests across the USA, protests and skirmishes in Hong Kong, and another potential intifada with the Palestinians over Israel’s annexation plans. Could any of this be related to the beginning of sorrows Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24? What about rider of the red horse of war of the apocalypse? Is ethic group prophesied to be against ethnic group according to the Orthodox Jewish Bible? Did the red horse begin the ride in the 20th century? What is the relationship of the seals of Revelation 6 and the start of the Great Tribulation? Will a warring ‘Beast’ leader arise in Europe? Might he quell civil unrest? Might he militarily destroy the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada? What about the Islamic nations of the Middle East and North Africa? Will Jesus have the King of the North Beast defeated? After Jesus returns will this be the time when people will not learn war? What about the other seals in the Book of Revelation? Dr. Thiel address these and more in this video.

Here is a link to our video: Riots and the Red Horse of the Apocalypse.

Violent protests are not the answer.

The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

Watch, repent, and pray (cf. Luke 21:36; 1 Timothy 2:1-3). Do good (cf. Romans 12:17-21).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

God’s Grace is For All Is being Jewish a hindrance to salvation? What about not being a descendant of Israel? What does the Bible really teach? Here is a link to a related sermon titled Race and Grace; Do you view race as God does?
20 items to prophetically watch in 2020 Much is happening. Dr. Thiel points to 20 items to watch (cf. Mark 13:37) in this article. Here is a link to a related sermon: 20 Prophetic Items to Watch in 2020.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
World War III: Steps in Progress Are there surprising actions going on now that are leading to WWIII? Might a nuclear attack be expected? Does the Bible promise protection to all or only some Christians? How can you be part of those that will be protected? A related video would be Is World War III About to Begin? Can You Escape?
Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Here is a link to a related sermon: Fourth Horseman, COVID, and the Rise of the Beast of Revelation. Some shorter related videos may include Amphibian Apocalypse: Threat to Humans? and Zombie Deer Disease is Here! Are the 10 Plagues on Egypt Coming? Here is a version of the article in Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
USA in Prophecy: The Strongest Fortresses Can you point to scriptures, like Daniel 11:39, that point to the USA in the 21st century? This article does. A related sermon is titled: Do these 7 prophesies point to the end of the USA?
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
COVID 19 is NOT the End, but could it be TEOTWAWKI? The novel coronavirus called COVID-19 is wreaking havoc around the world. Many states of the USA as well as countries in Europe are on lockdown with shelter in place /shelter in residence requirements. In France, a form is required when you are not at your house. In Spain, drones are being used to warn people who are outside to got back to their homes–does that bring up feelings of ‘Big Brother’? Italy, France, and other areas are using police and/or military force to encourage people to stay inside. According to the Bible could this be the end? If not, what has to happen first? Have the second and third of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse started their ride? Could COVID-19 be the fourth horseman? Why or why not? Could we be seeing The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) like the R.E.M.’s 1987 single song discussed? Do Christians need to fear? What did Jesus teach? What did the Psalmist teach? This is a video. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: Corona 19 no es el final PERO es el TEOTWAWKI.
COVID-19 Leading to 666? The novel coronavirus of Wuhan, China fame, is now called COVID-19. It has also been called the ‘Coronapocalypse.’ Does COVID-19 have any prophetic ramifications? What did Jesus teach about pestilences and sorrows in the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24? Could COVID-19 be the ride of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse? Why was this type of disease expected according to the O. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: ld Testament prophecies in Deuteronomy and Leviticus? What has the US Centers for Disease Control warned about? What has the CDC reported about the flu? Were there lessons about fear and infections in the 2011 movie ‘Contagion’? Because of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO), nation of Iran, and certain French locations are telling people not to use cash, but instead electronic forms of payment. The US Federal Reserve is now quarantining money repatriated from Asia to reduce the potential spread of the coronavirus on US currency bills. Is COVID-19 worse than we have been told or could this all be a ‘false flag’ event to encourage people to move towards a cashless society? If the thousands of deaths associated with COVID-19 are pushing parts of the world towards cashlessness, how much more likely will the ride of the fourth horseman and over a billion human deaths motivate people to move to making electronic payments that can be monitored? The Bible tells of a soon coming society that controls buying and selling to force allegiance to a coming European Beast power, known as 666 (Revelation 13:16-18). Does the ‘great tribulation’ begin before ride of the fourth horseman or with the opening of the fifth seal of Revelation 6? Do the words of Jesus helps us better understand the sequence of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and the start of the Great Tribulation? Will the ride of the fourth horseman help lead to the rise of 666? Is that ride very close? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: El COVID-19 ¿Conduce al 666?
God’s Grace is For All Is being Jewish a hindrance to salvation? What about not being a descendant of Israel? What does the Bible really teach? Here is a link to a related sermon titled Race and Grace; Do you view race as God does?
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is a link to a related sermon: Could God be Calling You? A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? A related sermon is also available titled: Real Christian Repentance.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
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.
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.
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-Celtic 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?
Canada in Prophecy: What Does Bible Prophecy, Catholic Prophecy, and other Predictions Suggest About the Future of Canada? There are prophecies that suggest involvement with Canada. And many are not positive about its future. A sermon of related interest is also available: Canada in Prophecy.
Australia and New Zealand in Prophecy Do biblical prophecies help explain the wealth blessings for Australia and New Zealand? Might cursings from disobedience come in the 21st century? Here is a link to a related sermon: Australia and New Zealand: Origins and Prophecy.
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory. There is also a video on the subject: Might Petra be the Place of Safety?
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.

COGwriter

Decades ago, the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Hebert W. Armstrong, wrote a booklet on healing. Here are some excerpts:

Is the day of miracles PAST? We read in the New Testament that when Jesus Christ was on earth 1900 years ago, He HEALED THE SICK. It seems there are so MANY MORE sick today than there were then. Well, is the day of miracles past? WHAT ABOUT this thing we call divine healing?

I’ve encountered scores of folks who say, “Well, I know God can heal today if it’s His will, but HOW CAN WE KNOW WHETHER IT’S HIS WILL?”

Others say, “Well, I think God helps them that help themselves. I believe God works thru medical science. We should always call the doctor, and take his drugs and medicines, or submit to his knives, and then pray that God will cause this human means to heal.”

For OUR day, or Only for Time of Christ?Some think Jesus Christ is like the professor Emeritus at the university — He USED to do great things, but now He’s grown old and feeble and doesn’t perform many miracles any more.

But, we read in I Corinthians 15:3-4: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” and again in Hebrews 13:8 — “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever,” and in John 14:12 — “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Some think healing was only to prove JESUS was the CHRIST — the promised MESSIAH — but not for this day and age.

When Divine Healing BeganMy friends, do you know when divine healing — healing direct by a miracle from ALMIGHTY GOD, as a result of believing PRAYER, really began? And incidentally, let me say I’m not referring to some modern MENTAL science, so called, or power or mind over matter, or hypnotism. I’m speaking only of physical healing performed directly by the Eternal Creator GOD, as a result of BELIEVING PRAYER. Do you know when this first began? Well, most of you are going to be surprised. It didn’t begin with the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth at all. It began MANY CENTURIES BEFORE THAT!

It began WHEN the CHURCH began! Most people think the CHURCH was first started after the resurrection of Christ — on the Day of Pentecost. That was merely the NEW Testament Church. But the Church started long before that — it started way back in the days of MOSES. Of course, that was the OLD Testament Church, but it was God’s CHURCH just the same.

Listen! Acts 7:28 — “This is He, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to Him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us.”

Now physical healing by faith in God is something the Eternal placed in that Old Testament church, way back in the days of Moses!

Let me read to you the first account in all history of direct divine healing. Exodus 15:23-26 — “And when they, [the children of Israel], came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: and therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Eternal and the Eternal showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken unto the voice of the Eternal thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Eternal that healeth thee.'”

And do you know, that the same conditions, “If you will obey and keep my commandments,” etc. — apply today, and that’s one reason why a lot of people who have a little light on divine healing and believe in it are not being healed!

Let me read that to you over in the NEW Testament, my friends, I John 3:22 — “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him,” WHY? “because we keep His commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in His sight.”

Well, with so many telling the people, and so many people believing, that Jesus Christ did away with the commandments, it’s no wonder that many of us are not having prayers answered today! “Whatsoever we ask we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”

Yes, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He has not changed and the same conditions apply today that did back in the days of Moses. Obedience and faith. Jesus said, “According to your faith be it unto you.”

God the ONLY Real PhysicianYou will notice that God said, “I am the Lord [or the Eternal] that heals you.” He is a jealous God in a sense, so far as the prerogatives of God are concerned. And so, turn over to the 20th chapter of Exodus where God was giving the ten commandments to all the people. Moses didn’t give the people the ten commandments. God gave the people the ten commandments, and He said, “I am the Eternal thy God . . . Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.”

He had said, “I am the God that heals you,” and now He says that you should have no other gods before Me.

You know, my friends, a doctor can’t heal! And any honest doctor will admit it. None of his drugs, or medicines, or knives can heal. There is no healing in any of them. There is only one kind of healing, and that is healing directly by the Almighty God! There is no other healing!…

One word of caution! You can’t dictate to God. He usually doesn’t do things OUR way or always in OUR time. Leave that to Him! He PROMISES to heal you. Accept His promise. STAND ON THE PROMISES! Expect the answer! You KNOW you’ll get it. Leave the “how” and the “when” to God. Let Him do it His way and in His time. Faith is the evidence of things NOT SEEN — not felt. Don’t pay any attention to how you feel, or what you see, after you have called upon God for healing. Just KNOW you are to have it, and that’s that!

In our many, many experiences, we have had healings in our own family and many other cases that were instantaneous. Then I’m thinking now of a woman who came to me and another minister for prayer for healing. After we noticed no change and she felt none. It was four days later that she was suddenly, instantly healed. I’ve known some to heal gradually. It was even so in Jesus’ own ministry, one began to mend from that hour.

Leave the “how” and “when” to God. KNOW His promise is SURE!

The Scripture CANNOT BE BROKEN!

“Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth ALL thy diseases!”

(The above scripture comes from Psalm 103:3.)

Does God still heal people today?

Yes.

I have received reports from various ones who have been healed in response to getting anointed cloths (cf. Acts 19:11-12) from the Continuing Church of God. God does still heal people today, in accordance to His will of what is best for the sufferer.

Several items of possibly related interest may include:

Does God Heal Today? This historical article is by Herbert Armstrong and provides his views on healing circa 1952, which he seemed to later modify, at least to some degree.
Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach? This contains 28 biblically-based tips on improving the effectiveness of your prayers. This is a pdf. A related two part sermon is available: What Does the Bible Teach About Prayer? and What does the Bible Teach About Prayer (& Healing)?
Who Was Herbert W. Armstrong? How is He Viewed Today? Includes quotes from the 1973 edition of The Autobiography of Herbert W. Armstrong and explains how he is and should be viewed today.
The Seven Laws of Success Are there tips that can help people become successful.
Christian Success Does the Bible teach that Christians are to be successful? Are there at least seven laws of success that Christians should follow? How does the Bible teach we are to become successfully spiritually? Does the Bible really teach that Christians should be successful physically? This video answers these questions and more from the Bible. An outline of some of the scriptures used is here: Christian Success Outline.
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.
Living as a Christian: How and Why? In what ways do Christians live differently than others. What about praying, fasting, tithing, holy days, and the world? There are also two YouTube video related to this: Living as a Christian: How and Why? and Living as a Christian: Pure Milk of the Word.
Living as a Christian: Strong Meat Can you handle solid spiritual food? A related sermon is available: Strong Meat: James 1-2 and Strong Meat: James 3-5.
Priorities and the Most Broken Commandment Which commandment is broken the most? Which one is most involved with what should be your top priority? Here is a link to a related sermon: The Most Violated Commandment and Priorities.
What are Your Priorities? The late evangelist Dibar Apartian wrote this.
Should Christians Smoke Tobacco or Marijuana? Is smoking a sin? What does the Bible teach? What have COG leaders written? Can smokers change? What about marijuana?
Marijuana: Should a Christian Get High? There is increasing acceptance of the use of marijuana. How should Christians view this? Here is a related video titled How Should a Christian View Marijuana?
Alcohol: Blessing or Curse? This is an article from the old Good News magazine that attempts to answer this question.
Binge Drinking, Health, and the Bible Many college students and others overindulge in alcohol. Are there health risks? What does the Bible teach? A related video is also available: Binge Drinking and the Bible.
Obesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned? What diseases are associated with eating too much refined foods? A related video would be Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
Why so much mental illness? Article by E.M. Walter goes into several of the causes of this.
ADHD diagnoses increasing Is diet a possible contributing factor in the increasing number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder?
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.
UK Study Supports Daniel Diet Daniel and his companions looked better eating more vegetables and avoiding strange meats. Has modern science confirmed this?
Continuing Church of God The group striving to be most faithful amongst all real Christian groups

5G logo (Wikipedia)

COGwriter

The technology known as 5G is expanding as the following report related to T-Mobile shows:

June 1, 2020

BELLEVUE, Wash. & ANCHORAGE, Alaska–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The country’s one and only nationwide 5G network just got nationwide-r, expanding its footprint with partner coverage! T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) and GCI today announced a historic partnership, immediately allowing T-Mobile customers with 5G smartphones to tap into 5G while roaming in Anchorage, Alaska, making T-Mobile the first and only wireless provider to offer 5G coverage in all 50 states! The new partnership also gives GCI customers roaming access to T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network, America’s largest, covering more than one million square miles and nearly 6,000 cities and towns. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200601005469/en/T-Mobile-5G-50-States%21

But there are concerns:

June 1, 2020

The next generation of high-speed mobile data, known as 5G, is live in many countries including the US, the UK and Australia. …

One of the biggest concerns people have about 5G is that the network’s radio frequency will be unsafe, expose people to radiation and cause cancer. The fears aren’t completely unfounded — a 2011 report from the World Health Organization suggested that cellphone radiation should be listed as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”  In 2016, a study funded by the US government showed a link between radio frequency radiation and cancers in rats. And popular phones like the iPhone and Galaxy handsets may exceed the level of radio frequency radiation allowed by the FCC. …

Though it’s too early to be 100% confident, we do know that on Aug. 8, after more than six years of research and review, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai circulated a proposal to deem cellphones, including ones that use 5G, as safe. https://www.expressnews.com/cnet/article/5G-myths-debunked-No-5G-doesn-t-cause-COVID-19-15307664.php

People often say 5G hasn’t been tested, and to some extent that is true. But given 5G uses millimetre wave technology and that technology has been studied for quite some time, it has obviously been tested by those who have worked on them. So why hasn’t this information been widely released? Why are we not looking at the available data on millimetre wave technology as it relates to 5G?

Recently we came across 7 Russian studies that were summarized in a report declassified through the CIA. These studies were declassified in 2012 and marked “For Goverment Use Only.” From what you can gather very quickly in this report, the conclusions should shut down 5G rollout instantly. At least until someone can show, beyond any reasonable doubt, that this technology is safe.

Let’s have a quick look at how this report was concluded:

“Thus the conducted investigations indicate high biological activity and an unfavourable influence of millimeter radiowaves on the organism. The expression of the biological reactions increased with an increase of the period of iridation and depended on individual characteristics of the organism.”

What this translates to in plain English is, millimetre-wave frequencies do affect the human body negatively, and the longer the exposure, the more damage that occurs. Since 5G uses millimetre waves and is set to push a constant barrage of frequency on humans anywhere they go, this would mean sustained wave exposure, and thus inevitable biological damage. https://www.collective-evolution.com/2020/05/30/dr-buttar-reveals-declassified-government-report-related-to-5g-dangers/

Notice also something last Fall from Scientific American:

We Have No Reason to Believe 5G Is Safe

The telecommunications industry and their experts have accused many scientists who have researched the effects of cell phone radiation of “fear mongering” over the advent of wireless technology’s 5G. Since much of our research is publicly-funded, we believe it is our ethical responsibility to inform the public about what the peer-reviewed scientific literature tells us about the health risks from wireless radiation. … more than 240 scientists who have published peer-reviewed research on the biologic and health effects of nonionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF) signed the International EMF Scientist Appeal, which calls for stronger exposure limits. The appeal makes the following assertions:

“Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines. Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life.”

The scientists who signed this appeal arguably constitute the majority of experts on the effects of nonionizing radiation. They have published more than 2,000 papers and letters on EMF in professional journals. …

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified RFR as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” in 2011. Last year, a $30 million study conducted by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) found “clear evidence” that two years of exposure to cell phone RFR increased cancer in male rats and damaged DNA in rats and mice of both sexes. …

As a society, should we invest hundreds of billions of dollars deploying 5G, a cellular technology that requires the installation of 800,000 or more new cell antenna sites in the U.S. close to where we live, work and play? 10/17/19 https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/we-have-no-reason-to-believe-5g-is-safe/

Notice also the following:

The 5G danger can’t be overstated.

5G (5th Generation) is now being actively rolled out in many cities around the world. Simultaneously, as awareness over its horrific health and privacy impacts is rising, many places are issuing moratoriums on it or banning it, such as the entire nation of Belgium, the city of Vaud (Switzerland) and San Francisco (USA). Radiofrequency radiation (RF or RFR) and electromagnetic fields (EMF) are being increasingly recognized as new types of pollution – environmental pollution. 11/16/19 https://www.globalresearch.ca/5g-danger-13-reasons-5g-wireless-technology-will-be-a-catastrophe-for-humanity/5680503

20,000 Satellites for 5G to be Launched Sending Focused Beams of Intense Microwave Radiation Over Entire Earth

If you weren’t already familiar with 5G – research has already proven that exposure is harmful to people, animals, and nature. Reports of illness from exposure to 5G have already been reported and a 5G court case was already won in England. …

In the U.S. and elsewhere, outdated legislation and guidelines protect all sources of wireless radiation – not the public or the environment. This includes 5G. So just because all these wireless sources are legal doesn’t mean they are safe. Fat substitute olestra is legal too – that doesn’t mean you’d risk intestinal mayhem and eat anything made with it. 01/08/19 https://www.activistpost.com/2019/01/details-about-the-20000-satellites-earmarked-for-beaming-5g-radiation-at-us-from-space-and-why-this-is-a-bad-idea.html

Environmental effects of existing RF radiation have also been ignored. 5G will massively increase the microwave and millimeter wave radiation in our environment, and will have a detrimental effect on wildlife and trees. 5G will substantially increase exposure to radio–frequency electromagnetic fields RF-EMF, that has already been proven to be harmful for humans, animals and the environment.

Risks from 5G include:

• Damage to the eyes – cataracts, retinal damage
• Severe sweating
• Skin damage
• Immune system disruption
• Metabolic disruption
• Neurological disturbance
• Leakage of blood brain barrier
• Damage to sperm
• Increased risk of cancers
• Collapse of insect populations, the base of food for birds and bats
• Rise in bacterial resistance and bacterial shifts
• Damage to plants and trees

Millimeter wavelengths (at high intensity) have been used in military applications in active denial systems (non-lethal crowd control weapons). https://ehtrust.org/key-issues/5g-networks-iot-scientific-overview

Some research on non-thermal effects has shown that millimeter wavelengths target cell membranes and have adverse biological effects as well as clinical effects such as cataracts, immune system alterations and physiological effects on the heart and blood pressure. (accessed 01/10/19 https://es-ireland.com/5g-5th-generation-greater-dangers/)

The rollout of 5G is another great example of how our federal health regulatory agencies have been completely compromised by big powerful corporations. You would think with more than 10,000 peer-reviewed studies showing clear danger with regards to electromagnetic radiation overdose, something our planet is experiencing, that these technologies would be required to go through some safety testing. The truth is, if they went through any type of safety testing there is no way they would be approved. The studies that have already been published show clear links to neuropsychiatric disorders, reduced sperm count, brain damage and cancer among other serious ailments. …

Dr. Sharon Goldberg, an internal medicine physician & professor, recently gave her testimony regarding the dangers of electromagnetic radiation. She says: “Wireless radiation has biological effects. Period.” You can watch that testimony here.

Doctors treating patients from over-exposure to wireless radiation, joined by scientists at Queen’s Park (Toronto), gathered to recommend the Ontario Government take steps to protect public health before the roll-out of 5G cell phone technology. In this public hearing, Dr. Anthony Miller, Professor Emeritus with the University of Toronto, and adviser to the International Agency for Research on Cancer said: “Many scientists worldwide now believe that radiofrequency radiation should be elevated to a Class One human carcinogen, on the same list as Cigarettes, X-Rays, and Asbestos.”

There are similar statements from other academicians, Dr. Martin Blank, Ph.D., from the Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Colombia University makes the point quite clear: “Putting it bluntly they are damaging the living cells in our bodies and killing many of us prematurely.” (source) 06/28/19 https://www.naturalblaze.com/2019/06/5g-technician-reveals-the-damage-he-believes-5g-will-cause.html?utm_source=Natural+Blaze+Subscribers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=19166cdb80-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_term=0_b73c66b129-19166cdb80-388228225

Humans do not really know the possible health impacts of 5G, wireless networks, etc. Or that of 6G or 7G, which is also being proposed. Some believe that there are risks to the pineal gland and other parts of the human endocrine system from 5G.

Officially, the US government presumes that 5G is safe:

Some health and safety interest groups have interpreted certain reports to suggest that wireless device use may be linked to cancer and other illnesses, posing potentially greater risks for children than adults. While these assertions have gained increased public attention, currently no scientific evidence establishes a causal link between wireless device use and cancer or other illnesses. Those evaluating the potential risks of using wireless devices agree that more and longer-term studies should explore whether there is a better basis for RF safety standards than is currently used. The FCC closely monitors all of these study results. However, at this time, there is no basis on which to establish a different safety threshold than our current requirements. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/wireless-devices-and-health-concerns accessed 04/11/20

Notice that the FCC has not proved that 5G is totally safe–and I would say that there is a basis to look more at safety than the FCC’s “current requirements.”

The reality is that it is not practical to thoroughly test all the potential health risks. As a published scientist, I can clearly state that many things that we have been assured are safe have not been sufficiently tested to prove so. And actually my warnings about things such as GMO mosquitoes were proven correct as scientists had to admit they got “unanticipated outcomes” when they tried to make mosquitoes easier to eliminate, when instead they made them harder to kill (see Scientists confirm COGwriter GMO mosquito warning) and that is not the only issue scientists have been wrong about (see also ‘Genetically Engineered Food – the Lie That Won’t Die’ The Third Horseman of the Apocalypse? CRISPR and the Coronavirus?).

There simply have not been sufficient studies to prove proper safety and health impacts, nor is it practical to do them on all the EMR ramifications. In order to do this right, millions of people would need to be involved. And the time period would need to be enough to cover 3-5 generations–it would probably need to take between 200-400 years to be able to have the data to come to a proper scientific conclusion about that. And, of course, that has not happened. Nor will that happen.

So, yes, there are health risks.

Are there threats besides health risks?

Yes.

Since 5G is a faster information technology and that governments continue to collect data on people, 5G gives those who wish to do that a platform to increase surveillance and analyze it quicker.

There is a totalitarian potential associated with 5G.

5G, or at least similar technologies, would be expected to help the Beast and final Antichrist.

The Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put out the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:

What is 5G? Does it have prophetic ramifications? What is 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G? What about 6G, 7G, and 10G? Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill tied some of these technologies to the Antichrist–could there be any truth to that? Could some of these new technologies assist in the fulfillment of prophecies related to Revelation 13, buying and selling, and 666? Are there health risks associated with 5G? What have some suggested? Will these technologies only provide benefits or might the Beast and Antichrist use them for harm? An article of related interest is available titled “‘ ‘What will a 5G mobile phone be capable of?’ and ‘Russian Patriarch Warns ‘Antichrist’ Will Control Humans Through Gadgets’.“

Here is a link to the sermonette video: 5G and the Antichrist?

A time of totalitarian control is coming and information technology, perhaps at least partially related to 5G, will be part of it.

With lockdowns and drone enforcement related to COVID-19 (see‘US, European Cities Turn to “Talking Drones” From China to Enforce Social Distancing’), it is clear that governments will use faster technology to attempt to control human populations.

5G offers more opportunities for that, but also comes with health risks.

Health risks that I am not convinced can be thoroughly tested for.

But just about all of us have exposure to it.

Some items of related interest include the following:

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’?
COVID 19 is NOT the End, but could it be TEOTWAWKI? The novel coronavirus called COVID-19 is wreaking havoc around the world. Many states of the USA as well as countries in Europe are on lockdown with shelter in place /shelter in residence requirements. In France, a form is required when you are not at your house. In Spain, drones are being used to warn people who are outside to got back to their homes–does that bring up feelings of ‘Big Brother’? Italy, France, and other areas are using police and/or military force to encourage people to stay inside. According to the Bible could this be the end? If not, what has to happen first? Have the second and third of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse started their ride? Could COVID-19 be the fourth horseman? Why or why not? Could we be seeing The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) like the R.E.M.’s 1987 single song discussed? Do Christians need to fear? What did Jesus teach? What did the Psalmist teach? This is a video. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: Corona 19 no es el final PERO es el TEOTWAWKI.
COVID-19 Leading to 666? The novel coronavirus of Wuhan, China fame, is now called COVID-19. It has also been called the ‘Coronapocalypse.’ Does COVID-19 have any prophetic ramifications? What did Jesus teach about pestilences and sorrows in the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24? Could COVID-19 be the ride of the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse? Why was this type of disease expected according to the O. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: ld Testament prophecies in Deuteronomy and Leviticus? What has the US Centers for Disease Control warned about? What has the CDC reported about the flu? Were there lessons about fear and infections in the 2011 movie ‘Contagion’? Because of COVID-19, the World Health Organization (WHO), nation of Iran, and certain French locations are telling people not to use cash, but instead electronic forms of payment. The US Federal Reserve is now quarantining money repatriated from Asia to reduce the potential spread of the coronavirus on US currency bills. Is COVID-19 worse than we have been told or could this all be a ‘false flag’ event to encourage people to move towards a cashless society? If the thousands of deaths associated with COVID-19 are pushing parts of the world towards cashlessness, how much more likely will the ride of the fourth horseman and over a billion human deaths motivate people to move to making electronic payments that can be monitored? The Bible tells of a soon coming society that controls buying and selling to force allegiance to a coming European Beast power, known as 666 (Revelation 13:16-18). Does the ‘great tribulation’ begin before ride of the fourth horseman or with the opening of the fifth seal of Revelation 6? Do the words of Jesus helps us better understand the sequence of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and the start of the Great Tribulation? Will the ride of the fourth horseman help lead to the rise of 666? Is that ride very close? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video. Here is a link to a version in the Spanish language: El COVID-19 ¿Conduce al 666?
Biological Warfare and Prophecy Is biological warfare possible? Was it prophesied? Scientists have long warned that pathogenic organisms like the coronavirus could be weaponized. Furthermore, back in 2017, there were concerns that the biological research facility being constructed in Wuhan, China was risky and that a coronavirus from it could be released. On January 25, 2020, China’s President Xi Jinping publicly stated that the situation with the Wuhan-related strain of the coronavirus was grave. Did Church of God writers like the late evangelist Raymond McNair warn that engineered viruses (the “Doomsday bug”) were consistent with prophecies from Jesus? Did a warning from CCOG leader Bob Thiel warn about risks of genetically-modified (GMO) mosquitoes come to pass? Could human research and/or the consumption of biblically-unclean animals such as bats and snakes be a factor in current outbreaks or coming future pestilences? What about famines? How devastating have pestilences been? How devastating are the prophesied ones going to be? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Some related videos may include Amphibian Apocalypse: Threat to Humans?, Zombie Deer Disease is Here! Are the 10 Plagues on Egypt Coming?, and Biological Warfare and Prophecy. Here is a version of the article in Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
20 items to prophetically watch in 2020 Much is happening. Dr. Thiel points to 20 items to watch (cf. Mark 13:37) in this article. Here is a link to a related sermon: 20 Prophetic Items to Watch in 2020.
Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Some related videos may include Amphibian Apocalypse: Threat to Humans? and Zombie Deer Disease is Here! Are the 10 Plagues on Egypt Coming? Here is a version of the article in Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
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.
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Is the former German Defense Minister (who is also the former German Minister for Economics and Technology) one to watch? What do Catholic, Byzantine, and biblical prophecies suggest? A video of related interest would be: Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg and Europe’s Future.
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: Alemania en la profecía bíblic. Here are links to two English language sermon videos Germany in Bible Prophecy and The Rise of the Germanic Beast Power of Prophecy.
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur. Will those with the cross be the persecutors or the persecuted–this article has the shocking answer. There is also a YouTube video sermon you can watch: The Coming Persecution of the Church. Here is information in the Spanish language: Persecuciones de la Iglesia y el Estado.
The Falling Away: The Bible and WCG Teachings Who is 2 Thessalonians 2:3 referring to? Are there multiple falling aways? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: La Apostasía: Enseñanzas de la Biblia y de la WCG. There are also two YouTube videos on the subject that you can watch The Falling Away Part 1: From the Bible and Church History and The Falling Away Part 2: Positions Presented by Others.
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? 2020, 2021, or 2022? 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 la Gran Tribulación comenzar en el 2020 o 2021? ¿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: Could the Great Tribulation Begin in 2020?
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.
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? Two related videos include UN’s ‘New Universal Agenda’ is a False Gospel! and United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2? Is this the King of the North, the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-11, or the two-horned Beast of Revelation 13:12-16? Some rely on traditions, but what does the Bible teach? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2?; here is a link to a video in Spanish: ¿Quién es el ‘hombre de pecado’? Here is a version in Mandarin: N;ÿ Œ
f/’Y’jNº’ÿ Here is a link to a related English sermon video titled: The Man of Sin will deceive most ‘Christians’.
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet.” Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy. You can also watch a video titled What Does the Bible teach about the Antichrist?

‘George Floyd’ Riot aftermath (Lorie Shaull)

COGwriter

We are seeing protests, arrests, and riots across the USA (see Riots across the USA: Garner Ted Armstrong on cause of racial strife), protests in Hong Kong (see China approves Hong Kong National Security Law), and rumors of another intifada from the Palestinians (see Netanyahu sworn in and wants annexations, but Jordan’s King Abdullah opposed).

Here is some information on the riots and protests in the USA:

George Floyd protests continue nationwide, 4,400 arrests reported; St. John’s Church in DC set on fire

June 1, 2020

More than 4,400 arrests have been made at protests nationwide since viral video emerged showing former Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin holding his knee to Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes on Memorial Day, resulting in Floyd’s death. Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo apologized to Floyd’s family Sunday, saying that firing Chauvin and the other three officers involved in the incident was the right thing to do.

Peaceful protests continued to be marred by violence. The Minneapolis Department of Public safety confirmed a semi-truck drove into a group of peaceful protesters on Interstate 35. …

As protesters gathered near the White House, flames were seen at Washington, D.C., landmark that bills itself as “the church of the presidents.” The fire, apparently an act of arson, was in the basement of St. John’s Church, across from the White House, The Washington Post reported, and was extinguished. It occurred as a demonstration was taking place outside. The gathering had attracted as many as 1,000 Sunday, who faced off against officers in riot gear. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/01/george-floyd-protest-arrests-dc-chicago-minneapolis/5305001002/

Will Today’s Riots Spur Electoral Backlash Like 1967’s?

June 1, 2020

As New York Times columnist Ross Douthat notes, riots weren’t the only types of “urban violence” that fed a racial backlash in the 1960s and beyond; violent crime rates were rising rapidly, as well. Current crime rates are relatively low in most cities, but conservative race-baiters have become adept at using selective crime spikes to conjure the specter of terrifying “waves.”

Nixon and Reagan were shrewd manipulators of white racial fears and deft deployers of racist dog whistles, but both were arguably pikers compared to Donald J. Trump.

That a wave of “race riots” has broken out as Trump is in the throes of an existential fight to stay in power has to be looked on as a gift from heaven by many in his camp. That today’s Democrats are (to their credit) feeling much more pressure to identify with the victims of racial injustice than were their forbears over a half-century ago is just fuel for the backlash fires. Perhaps the current protests will subside or be channeled constructively, or they will be overshadowed by the daily violence of coronavirus cases and families and lives torn apart by the collapse of the economy. But when push comes to shove in October, you can bet that Republican campaign ads and social-media messaging will be aflame with images of rioters along with their alleged Democratic allies, the criminal illegal aliens. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/06/will-todays-riots-spur-electoral-backlash-like-1967s.html

As far as Donald Trump goes, here is something I warned about here in September 2016:

For years I have warned that more civil unrest was coming to the USA. We have already seen a re-emergence of civil unrest already in 2015 and 2016.

That does not mean that I agree that globalists will necessarily trigger it etc. But the media certainly has fanned the flames in the past and I expect them to do more such fanning in the future if Donald Trump were to win. (Thiel B. ‘Chaos will erupt across America in less than 100 days… no matter who wins the election’. COGwriter, September 5, 2016)

Plus, here is something related to that in my book Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse:

For one prophetic example, on September 5, 2016, I warned that the media would fan the flames for civil unrest if Donald Trump were elected. The morning after his election I warned that we would see civil unrest. Less than 24 hours later, tens of thousands, of various backgrounds, were protesting (Blau M, et al. Protesters target Trump buildings in massive street rallies. CNN, November 10, 2016 ) and certain ones in the media helped fan those flames of those protests. Expect more protests against Donald Trump. (Thiel B. Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse. Nazarene Books, 2017, pp. 15-16)

Donald Trump has been a polarizing figure and has offended many including minorities and Muslims. Expect civil unrest and rioting. The Bible prophesies “There shall be terror within” (Deuteronomy 32:25). (Thiel B. Donald Trump and America’s Apocalypse. Nazarene Books, 2017, p. 86)

That has happened.

Now consider that Jesus said:

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

We are in the ‘beginning of sorrows.’ The first horseman of the Apocalypse spreading a false interfaith and ecumenical gospel has been becoming more and more prominent on the world scene the past several years. They claim Jesus is Christ, but do not truly act like it, and they are deceiving many.

Jesus said this would be followed by wars and rumors of war.

As far as rumors of war go, the situation in Hong Kong has sparked many fears and rumors. Millions in Hong Kong seem to see “the handwriting on the wall” (see also China approves Hong Kong National Security Law) and have decided to be pro-mainland China (see Nearly 2.93 mln Hong Kong residents sign petition supporting national security legislation) while others wish to protest.

Now, notice something related to Palestine:

June 1, 2020

Abbas: “The [Palestinian] leadership has today decided the following: First, the PLO and the State of Palestine are absolved, as of today, of all the agreements and understandings with the American and Israeli governments and of all the commitments based on these understandings and agreements, including the security ones.”

[Official PA TV, May 19, 2020]

On the day of Abbas’ speech, the official PA daily editorial also warned of impending violence. The editorial prescribed “fighting this plan… regardless of the extent of the sacrifices and the quantity of the Martyrs’ blood”:

“The possibility that stands before Palestine with its people, its leadership, and its factions… is either treason through silence over the destructive colonialist annexation plan, or fighting this plan… on the basis of resolve and perseverance in the paths of national struggle, regardless of the extent of the sacrifices and the quantity of the Martyrs’ blood. On these paths there can be no compromises of any kind; either the free and independent State of Palestine whose capital is East Jerusalem with a just resolution for the refugees’ problem, or ‘fire from generation to generation.’”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 19, 2020]

Abbas’ Fatah Movement has also threatened violence against Israel, promising “an explosion of the situation” and “self-sacrifice”:

We hold the Israeli occupation and the current American administration fully responsible for the explosion in the situation in the Palestinian territories, and say to them that the Palestinian people will defend its land and its right with self-sacrifice… We will not allow any occupying power to expropriate our historical Palestinian right, and we will all mobilize to fight with the sword of justice against the dark forces of occupation, until the occupation is defeated and independence is achieved.” (See full statement below)

[Official Fatah Facebook page, May 20, 2020]

Fatah in Hebron “warned” Israel that Fatah “will be watching” and that “options are completely open” – a Palestinian euphemism for threatening to use violence and terror. …

Similarly, PLO Executive Committee member Saleh Rafat encouraged Palestinians to use “all the types of popular resistance” against Israel – another term that includes the use of violence and terror:

“PLO Executive Committee member and Secretary-General of the Palestinian Democratic Union FIDA Saleh Rafat… called on all the Palestinian factions, the civil and official Palestinian institutions, and all our Palestinian people in Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank to come out against the Israeli steps that are meant to Judaize occupied Jerusalem, to tighten the siege of the Gaza Strip, and to annex the Palestinian territories, through all the types of popular resistance in all the Palestinian districts.”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 29, 2020] https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/151201/fatah-last-warning-threatens-explosion-and-self-sacrifice-if-israel-annexes-judea-samaria/

Many of those statements sound at least like rumors of war.

We could be at or near the time of the ride of the red horseman of the apocalypse.

Red Horseman of War

Notice what Jesus had the Apostle John record:

3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. (Revelation 6:3-4)

The specter of war is haunting the world right now. And though we expect, after conflict, to see temporary peace in places like the Middle East (cf. Daniel 9:27; see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27), many are preparing for war.

Here is number 7 from my article 20 items to prophetically watch in 2020:

7. Strife and the Red Horse of War

Notice the following:

3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. (Revelation 6:3-4)

Somewhat paralleling the ride of the second horseman of Revelation 6:3-4, Jesus warned about wars and disturbances:

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. (Matthew 24:6-7a)

“Nation … against nation” is literally “ethnos … against ethnos” in the original Greek. Notice how the Orthodox Jewish Bible translates the first half of Matthew 24:7:

For there will be an intifada of ethnic group against ethnic group, …

We expect to see more wars, rumors of war, and civil unrest.

When I heard a black woman scream out “Shoot all the white folks” on the news last Thursday evening, her statement ended up bringing the “intifada of ethnic group against ethnic group” translation of Matthew 24:7 to mind. “Intifada” means rebellion or uprising, or more properly, it comes from the Arabic intifāḍah meaning “shaking off.” We have seen rebellion and a desire to shake off various governmental practices in these recent protests and riots.

Speaking of racial riots, I saw printed signs in windows of various businesses in the Minneapolis area that said “BLACK OWNED BUSINESS.’ Apparently hoping that the building would not be ransacked.  This reminded me of the spray painted words “Soul Brother” that I saw on buildings in Detroit, Michigan related to the 1967 riots. Related to that riot, notice what history.com reported:

The 1967 Detroit Riots were among the most violent and destructive riots in U.S. history. By the time the bloodshed, burning and looting ended after five days, 43 people were dead, 342 injured, nearly 1,400 buildings had been burned and some 7,000 National Guard and U.S. Army troops had been called into service. https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/1967-detroit-riots accessed 05/53/20

Worse riots are going to happen related to the red horseman’s ride–which had NOT began before the 1967 riots.

It should be noted that the opening of this second seal for the red horseman’s ride IS NOT the Great Tribulation, as that does not begin until the 5th seal of Revelation is opened (Revelation 6:9). But warring destruction will accompany the start of the fifth seal as the opening of most seals does NOT close the previous ones.

Jesus said that before the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21), that we are to expect wars, rumors of wars, and various sorrows (Matthew 24:4-8).

So, other world leaders, in addition to the Beast of Revelation 13:1-10, are involved with this red horse.

The late Herbert W. Armstrong taught:

The first horseman is not the coming of Christ; it was the false Christ deceiving the people. For one thing, it was long after Christ had come. John wrote this in 90 AD and Christ had come, and was crucified, and gone to heaven in 31 AD. So you see it’s talking of something else, not something that had happened. This is a prophecy for the future. (Armstrong HW. Revelation – Closed Book Until the End. Radio broadcast. http://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbroadcast&InfoID=1371308958 accessed 09/05/17)

As far as timing goes, here is something else that the old Worldwide Church of God published back in 1975:

In the book of Revelation we find a disturbing vision of four fearsome horsemen (Rev. 6:1-8). Each of these horsemen is a symbol of the four major punishments to be inflicted upon a rebellious mankind — probably in the not-too-distant future! (Ritter G. 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Pale Horse – Disease Epidemics. Ambassador College Press, 1975)

4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Red Horse – War

John writes: “And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword” (Rev. 6:4).

John was not speaking about the fall of Jerusalem. That war was already some twenty years behind him. John was referring to future events that would bring 6000 years of human history crashing to a cataclysmic close.

The context of the book of Revelation alone demonstrates this. In chapter 9, verse 16, John writes of an army of 200 million men. There were barely that many men, women and children on earth in the days of Christ or the apostle John. Until the nineteenth century it would have been impossible to field an army this big, even if all the nations of the world had pooled their manpower resources. … John is referring to a time yet ahead of us when “peaceful coexistence” will be a thing of the past. (Ritter G. 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Red Horse – War, pp. 48, 52; see also Ritter R. The War that could end it all. Good News, December 1975)

What leads to the riding of the horsemen, including the one of war?

Satan!

7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:7-9)

12 Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time. (Revelation 12:12)

Satan deceives the world, including religiously (2 Corinthians 11:14-15), and is a factor in the ride of the white horseman and then the others.

Satan is stirring up unrest around the world. And this also includes Europe.

The Bible shows that a warring leader will arise in Europe:

1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 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 13:1-4)

That sea, according to Daniel, is the “Great Sea” (Daniel 7:2-8), further identified by other scriptures to be what we now call the Mediterranean Sea (Numbers 34:6-7; Joshua 1:4; 9:1; 23:4; Ezekiel 47:13-16). We also have a BNP video Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?

Once this Beast decides to make massive war, at first he will be successful.

First, he will likely quell unrest in Europe.

Then, he will eventually turn against the USA and its Anglo-Saxon descended allies:

24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;
He shall destroy fearfully,
And shall prosper and thrive;
He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.

25 “Through his cunning
He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;
And he shall exalt himself in his heart.
He shall destroy many in their prosperity. (Daniel 8:24-25)

39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:39)

This Beast leader, also called the King of the North, will then eliminate lands now dominated by Islam:

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

He will be successful militarily for a time.

Satan will want to see more destroyed and will encourage nations to gather in Armageddon:

13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. (Revelation 9:13-16)

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Revelation 16:13-14)

16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (Revelation 16:16)

This will not turn out well for those who so gather:

14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful. (Revelation 17:14)

44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2:44)

8 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:18)

15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

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

19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:15-21)

And then what happens:

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

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-6)

The old WCG taught after this:

Peace at Last

Jesus Christ will then go about the business of establishing real world peace. With Satan the Devil bound (Rev. 20:2), his destructive church-state combine out of the way, and with the nations no longer governed by fallible men, remarkable things will begin to happen. Isaiah writes: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain [government] of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears in to pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isa. 2:2-4; see also Micah 4:1-4).
For the first time the vast majority of people will learn what it means to live according to God’s laws. No longer will they be motivated to fight and quarrel, but will learn to love their fellowman. There it is — the final solution to war.

For the sake of all humanity, the sooner it arrives the better. (Ritter G. 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse – The Red Horse – War, p. 52)

Despite wars, ultimately, there is good news as God’s kingdom will come and those issues will be gone (Revelation 7:16).

Yet, currently we see a lot of violent unrest and posturing–that ultimately will fail. The Kingdom of God is the Solution.

Here is our latest video:

14:10

Riots and the Red Horse of the Apocalypse

We are seeing riots and protests across the USA, protests and skirmishes in Hong Kong, and another potential intifada with the Palestinians over Israel’s annexation plans. Could any of this be related to the beginning of sorrows Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24? What about rider of the red horse of war of the apocalypse? Is ethic group prophesied to be against ethnic group according to the Orthodox Jewish Bible? Did the red horse begin the ride in the 20th century? What is the relationship of the seals of Revelation 6 and the start of the Great Tribulation? Will a warring ‘Beast’ leader arise in Europe? Might he quell civil unrest? Might he militarily destroy the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada? What about the Islamic nations of the Middle East and North Africa? Will Jesus have the King of the North Beast defeated? After Jesus returns will this be the time when people will not learn war? What about the other seals in the Book of Revelation? Dr. Thiel address these and more in this video.

Here is a link to our video: Riots and the Red Horse of the Apocalypse.

We are seeing signs of the Red Horseman of the Apocalypse.

Mary did not have a halo

COGwriter

Today is a relatively new ‘Marian’ holiday called: Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.’

Before getting to that, notice the following:

Vatican City, May 30, 2020 / 11:15 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis asked the Virgin Mary to intercede for an end to “this terrible pandemic” as he recited the rosary with Marian shrines worldwide via videolink May 30.

The pope was joined Saturday by 50 shrines in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa as he implored God’s help amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 365,000 lives so far. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-asks-mary-to-intercede-for-end-to-terrible-pandemic-during-rosary-with-worlds-shrines-36828

Pope Francis continues to push his version of Mary.

Mike Gendron had the following in one of his past newsletters related to today’s ‘holiday’ for Mary:

The Vatican announced the new Roman Catholic holiday will be observed every year on the Monday after Pentecost. … The pope considered how greatly the promotion of this devotion to Mary will encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety. The decree states: “Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church, while the latter says that the birth of the Head is also the birth of the body, These considerations derive from the divine motherhood of Mary and from her intimate union in the work of the Redeemer, which culminated at the hour of the cross.”

The Roman Catholic Church already has a number of feast days dedicated to Mary, including the Feast of Immaculate Conception, in observance that Mary was conceived without sin, and the Feast of Assumption, in observance that Mary did not die but ascended to Heaven like Jesus.

Mike’s Comments: Mary described herself as a servant of the Lord (Luke 1:38). Yet the Catholic Church has elevated her to an omniscient goddess with divine attributes. She is said to be all-knowing, all seeing, and all powerful. The Catholic Mary has become a counterfeit savior and mediator who is said to have been born sinless and lived a sinless life. For Catholics, she has become a co-redeemer and the source of all grace. She is called the all-holy one, clearly a title belonging only to God.

This blasphemy stands in sharp contrast to what Scripture actually says and does not say about Mary. When Jesus said, ‘I will build My Church,’ he never said Mary would be the mother of His Church. The one true Church has only one Head, one Shepherd and one Builder: the Lord Jesus Christ. The true Church is the body of Christ, the bride; the flock of Christ and the household of faith. Scripture never speaks of Mary having a leadership role or as a mother over the church.

There is not one Scripture that show the disciples exalting or venerating Mary following the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ. In fact, the Bible says nothing about Mary’s life or her later years after Christ’s death. When she briefly appears with the disciples and the other believers on the day of Pentecost, she’s not an object of worship or even a leader in the early church. She is just one among many. There simply are no biblical examples of anyone ever praying to her or venerating her. If you contrast that with the overwhelming number of books on the life of Mary, the miracles of Mary and the apparitions of Mary, it is obvious that a pagan goddess has been created in the minds of popes. Jesus alone is the head of the Church and He alone is to be worshiped, venerated, adored and petitioned.

Pushing his version of ‘Mary’ is something Pope Francis has been doing for years. It is part of his ecumenical, interfaith, and European agendas (see also Pope Approves New Feast Day for ‘Mary’). In 2018, he invented this ‘Marian’ holiday–this clearly should prove to everyone that this was NOT an original Christian practice (cf. Jude 3). He also made another one in 2019 (see Pope Francis authorizes yet another Marian holiday: A Black Madonna connection to his interfaith environmental agenda).

Here is some of what Wikipedia has on this:

In Roman Catholic Mariology, Mother of the Church (in Latin Mater Ecclesiae) is a title, officially given to Mary during the Second Vatican Council by Pope Paul VI. The title was first used in the 4th century by Saint Ambrose of Milan, as rediscovered by Hugo Rahner.

The title “Mother of the Church” was used by Pope Benedict XIV in 1748 and then by Pope Leo XIII in 1885. The title was also used by Pope John Paul II and is also found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. …

In 2018, Pope Francis decreed that the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church be inserted into the Roman Calendar on the Monday after Pentecost (also known as Whit Monday) and to be celebrated every year. (Mother of the Church. Wikipedia, retrieved 04/14/19)

Interestingly, even though some within the Roman Church believe that the woman in Revelation 12:1-6 is also Mary (cf. https://stpaulcenter.com/a-woman-clothed-with-the-sun-the-assumption-in-the-bible/), notice that in the comments in the Rheims New Testament (the Catholic-accepted translation of the Latin Vulgate into English), Catholic scholars correctly teach that the woman in 12:6 is the church fleeing persecution:

ANNOTATIONS Chapter 12

6. The woman fled. ] This great persecution that the Church shall flee from… And by enlarging the sense, it may also very well signify the desolation and affliction that the Church suffereth and hath suffered from time to time in this wilderness of the world, by all the forerunners and ministers of Antichrist, Tyrants and Heretics (The Original And True Rheims New Testament Of Anno Domini 1582., pp. 556-557)

Another Catholic priest wrote the following:

The woman of chapter 12 is not the Blessed Virgin Mary. The ancient interpreters beginning with Hippolytus and Methodius understood this was a figure of the Church. (Kramer HB. The Book of Destiny. Nihil Obstat: J.S. Considine, O.P., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: +Joseph M. Mueller, Bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, January 26, 1956. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 276)

If the woman was Mary, this would contradict the Catholic position that Mary gave birth to Jesus without pain as Revelation 12 teaches that pain was involved:

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered. (Revelation 12:1-2, Douay-Rheims).

The Catholic Encyclopedia says this lack of pain situation was “the teaching of some of the principal Fathers and theologians: St. Ambrose [56], St. Gregory of Nyssa [57], St. John Damascene [58], the author of Christus patiens [59], St. Thomas [60], etc.” (Maas AJ. The Blessed Virgin Mary. The Catholic Encyclopedia)

Here is what the important Catholic saint and theologian Hippolytus taught about Revelation 12 in the third century, as well as Catholic Bishop Victorinus in that same century:

61. By the woman then clothed with the sun, he meant most manifestly the Church, endued with the Father’s word, whose brightness is above the sun. And by the moon under her feet he referred to her being adorned, like the moon, with heavenly glory. And the words, upon her head a crown of twelve stars, refer to the twelve apostles by whom the Church was founded. And those, “she, being with child, cries, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered,” mean that the Church will not cease to bear from her heart the Word that is persecuted by the unbelieving in the world. “And she brought forth,” he says, “a man-child, who is to rule all the nations; “by which is meant that the Church, always bringing forth Christ, the perfect man-child of God, who is declared to be God and man, becomes the instructor of all the nations. (Hippolytus on Christ and Antichrist. Translated by J.H. MacMahon. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0516.htm>)

“Victorinus said this is “the ancient church of fathers, and prophets, and saints, and apostles” (Ante-Nicene Fathers, VII, 355) {Source: from The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1962 by Moody Press}.

Those in the Continuing Church of God also believe that the woman in Revelation 12:1-6 is referring to the true Church of God, not Mary.

The following was in another of Mike Gendron’s earlier newsletters:

Another Mary Who Is Quite Contrary

In its refusal to submit to God’s Word as the supreme authority in matters of faith, the Roman Catholic Church worships another Jesus, teaches another gospel, and is deluded by another spirit (2 Cor.11:4). However, those soul-condemning errors are only the tip of the iceberg. Her deceptive practices and ungodly traditions also include the veneration of another Mary. The Mary of Catholicism is a twisted distortion of the Mary revealed in Scripture who also gave birth to James, Joses, Judas, Simon, and their sisters (Mark 6:3). Rome rejects the Scriptural proof of Mary’s other children by infallibly declaring she remained a virgin throughout her life. This counterfeit Mary is said to be another sinless mediator who is the cause of salvation for herself and the whole human race (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para. 494). The exaltation of the virgin Mary by Catholics is completely unfounded in Scripture. Outside of the Gospels, Mary’s name is mentioned only once and that is when she is praying with her other children and other believers in the upper room (Acts 1:14). Information about Mary in the Gospels is also very sparse. After the narratives related to the birth of Jesus, there are only three other references to Mary. The first is at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-5). Next is when she and the brothers of Jesus desired to talk to Jesus. Jesus responded that His mother and brothers are those who do the will of God (Mat. 12:46-50). One other reference is given when a woman in the crowd calls the mother of Jesus blessed, but Jesus does not affirm her. Instead He said blessed are those who hear the Word and observe it (Luke 11:27-28).

Roman pontiffs have created a Mary that shares the divine attributes of the Lord Jesus Christ. They say she was conceived without sin, lived a sinless life, was bodily assumed into glory, is the mediatrix of all grace, is our advocate, and now reigns as Queen of heaven alongside the King of kings. Pope Francis declared, “The Immaculate ‘Virgin’ becomes the sublime icon of Divine Mercy that conquered sin. To her I entrust the Church and all humanity, especially the city of Rome.”

The idolatry associated with the Catholic Mary is evidenced in many ways, but primarily in the ungodly practice of praying to her. Prayer is one of the deepest forms of worship because it acknowledges the divine power of the person to whom we pray. This is why we never see any God-fearing man praying to anyone other than God in the Bible. Yet thousands of Catholics pray to Mary, at the same time asking for her help. The only way Mary could hear and answer those prayers would be if she were omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Yet, she is only human like all of us.

While Christians can call Mary blessed (Luke 1:48), the Bible never refers to Mary as one to be venerated or prayed to.

Now, I intentionally used a picture that is claimed to be of Mary with a halo to point out that this too is contrary to scripture. If Mary had been traveling around with a halo, that would have caused quite a commotion. But even though she did not, that is how she is sometimes portrayed.

Most do not realize that the halo idea mainly comes from the followers of the pagan sun-god Mithra.

Mithra Had a Halo

Years ago, Wikipedia’s article on Halos reported:

Round “solar discs” above the head are seen in depictions of many deities of Ancient Egypt, including Ra and Hathor, and symbols resembling later haloes, such as the sun cross, are found in many ancient religions, especially in connection with sun worship. Homer describes a more-than-natural light around the heads of heroes in battle, and in Aristophanes’ Birds the founder of Cloud-Cuckoo-Land is extravagantly said to outshine stars and sun. Depictions of Perseus in the act of slaying Medusa, with lines radiating from his head, appear on a white-ground toiletry box in the Louvre and on a slightly later red-figured vase in the style of Polygnotos, ca. 450-30 BC, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On painted wares from south Italy radiant lines or simple haloes appear on a range of mythic figures: Lyssa, a personification of madness; a sphinx, a sea demon, Thetis, the sea-nymph who was mother to Achilles, The Colossus of Rhodes, was a statue of the sun-god Helios and had his usual radiate crown (copied by the Statue of Liberty). Hellenistic rulers are often shown wearing radiate crowns that seem clearly to imitate this effect. A more prosaic influence that has been cited by some historians is the Greek practice of placing circular metal discs above the head of statues to protect them from birds and their droppings, thus anticipating the “perspectival” halo by over a millennium. In Asian art The halo and the aureole have been widely used in Indian art, particularly in Buddhist iconography where it has appeared since at least the 1st century AD; the Kushan Bimaran casket in the British Museum is variously dated between 30BC and 60AD.

The above may be too politically incorrect now as it is no longer found on Wikipedia. But the idea of halos coming from Egypt has long been known (Massey. Ancient Egypt Light Of The World 2 Vol Set. Routledge, 2013, p. 219). While other pagan systems like the Egyptians had an illuminating “halo,” the one that came into the main Western religions apparently came from Mithraism as a sign of being illuminated.

Mithraism was the religion of the Roman Emperor Constantine who attempted to merge it with Christianity in the fourth century. The Marian cult was not something original, even to the Church of Rome:

Devotion to Our Blessed Lady in its ultimate analysis must be regarded as a practical application of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints. Seeing that this doctrine is not contained, at least explicitly in the earlier forms of the Apostles’ Creed, there is perhaps no ground for surprise if we do not meet with any clear traces of the cultus of the Blessed Virgin in the first Christian centuries. The earliest unmistakable examples of the “worship” — we use the word of course in the relative sense — of the saints is connected with the veneration paid to the martyrs who gave their lives for the Faith…Further, it is quite likely that the mention of the Blessed Virgin in the intercessions of the diptychs of the liturgy goes back to the days before the Council of Nicaea, but we have no definite evidence upon the point, and the same must be said of any form of direct invocation, even for purposes of private devotion (Herbert Thurston. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XV. Published 1912. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Antidicomarianites
An Eastern sect which…was so designated as being the “opponents of Mary”… This doctrine…was afterwards modified so as to teach that, although Our Lord was born of Mary through the Holy Ghost, afterwards Joseph and Mary lived in wedlock and had many other children. The sect denied the formula “ever-Virgin Mary” used in the Greek and Roman Liturgies. The earliest reference to this sect appears in Tertullian, and the doctrines taught by them are expressly mentioned by Origen (Homilia in Lucam, III, 940). Certain Arians, Eudocius and Eunomius, were great supporters of the teaching. (Shipman AJ. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter. Antidicomarianites. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I. Published 1907. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Thus, Catholic scholars admit prior to the 4th century (which is when the Council of Nicea was) that there was not much related to Marian veneration, but they suspect that it may have existed. Thus, it was NOT documented as a part of the original faith nor among the earliest faithful traditions. This is a MAJOR CHANGE, then, as Marian adoration is a big deal within the faith that now calls itself “Catholic.”

In the late fourth century, the Catholic Bishop Epiphanius warned that some were worshipping Mary and were causing ”excess awe of the saint” (Epiphanius. Section VII, pp. 618-629)– he thus seemed to clearly condemn what is now referred to by Catholics as veneration of Mary.

False apparitions and compromise with paganism brought many to have a non-biblical view of Mary.

And this has continued.

Notice what a ‘messenger’ allegedly stated to a young girl named Barbara Reiss in Marienfried/Pfaffenhofen, Germany on May 26, 1946:

Have absolute faith in my Immaculate Heart…Some have received my imprint, and there will be many more (Culleton, Reign of Antichrist, p. 216).

Yes, I am the powerful Mediatrix of Grace. As the world can find mercy only through the sacrifice of the Son with the Father, so can you only find favor with the Son through my intercession. Christ is unknown because I am not known…it will be I who draw the power of God and the love of the Father {that} will renew the fullness of Christ in you…The devil has power over those that do not trust in My heart. (Culligan E. The Last World War and the End of Time. The book was blessed by Pope Paul VI, 1966. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 162)

So, the messenger is indicating that her “Son” will not be known until she is known.

This seems consistent with an earlier message given through a nun:

Bl. Mary of Agreda (17th century): It was revealed to me that through intercession of the Mother of God all heresies will disappear. The victory over heresies has been reserved by Christ for His Blessed Mother. In the latter days, the Lord will in a special manner spread the renown of His Mother…Mary will extend the reign of Christ over the heathens and the Mohammedans. (Dupont, p. 33)

Notice what another messenger allegedly stated in Pfaffenhofen, Germany on June 25, 1946:

I am the great Mediatrix of Grace. The Father wants the world to recognize His handmaid…My sign is about to appear. God wills it…I cannot reveal my power to the world as yet…Then I will be able to reveal myself…Chose a sign for yourself so that the Trinity may soon be adored by all! Chose a sign for yourself so that the Trinity may soon be adored by all! Pray and sacrifice through me!…I will impose crosses on my children that will be as heavy and as deep as the sea because I love them in my sacrificed Son. I pray, be prepared to bear the cross in order that the Trinity may be honored (Culleton, Reign of Antichrist, pp. 217-218).

Real Christians would not pray and sacrifice through Mary.

In addition to the fact that these apparitions indicate that they need to become more known (hence may be a sign or wonder warned against in the end times cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:9), notice the claims about being a “Mediatrix” (the feminine form of the term mediator). But the Bible is clear that there is only one mediator and that this can only be Jesus:

5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5, NKJV).

5 For there is one God, one also mediator of God and men, man Christ JESUS (1 Timothy 2:5, RNT).

Thus any others who claim to be a mediator clearly contradict the Bible (from both the Catholic and Protestant translations) and CANNOT BE OF GOD.

Yet, Pope Leo XIII (as well as other Bishops of Rome) called Mary the Mediatrix and the “co-Redemptress” (another title not hers as only Jesus is our redeemer Titus 2:14; Isaiah 59:20) as well:

The recourse we have to Mary in prayer follows upon the office she continuously fills by the side of the throne of God as Mediatrix of Divine grace; being by worthiness and by merit most acceptable to Him, and, therefore, surpassing in power all the angels and saints in Heaven. Now, this merciful office of hers, perhaps, appears in no other form of prayer so manifestly as it does in the Rosary. For in the Rosary all the part that Mary took as our co-Redemptress comes to us, as it were, set forth, and in such wise as though the facts were even then taking place; and this with much profit to our piety, whether in the contemplation of the succeeding sacred mysteries, or in the prayers which we speak and repeat with the lips (Pope Leo XIII. Iucunda Semper Expectatione On the Rosary. September 8, 1894).

The Catholic Saint Bridget claimed that a “Marian” messenger said the following in the 14th century:

…my Son and I never sinned…(Revelations of St. Bridget. TAN Books, 1984, p. 14)

But the Bible clearly teaches, that other than Jesus, all have sinned:

15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

22 Even the justice of God, by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe in him: for there is no distinction:

23 For all have sinned, and do need the glory of God.

24 Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption, that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:22-24, Douay-Rheims)

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8, Douay-Rheims)

Thus, Mary of the Bible would never have claimed that she never sinned.

So, if much about Mary is not true, why be concerned about it?

Well, the current Pope Francis and various Catholic prophecies point to more Marianism.

And the Bible warns of a ‘virgin” that uses enchantments who is also called the Lady of the Kingdoms:

1 Come down, sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne for the daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called delicate and tender …4 Our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel. 5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people, I have polluted my inheritance, and have given them into thy bend: thou hast shown no mercy to them: upon the ancient thou hast laid thy yoke exceeding heavy.

So, understand that what will happen to the queen/Lady of the Kingdoms as well as to Babylon is warned against in Revelation. Yet, various Catholics have claimed that Mary is the “Queen of heaven” and “Lady of the kingdoms.”

However, neither the Bible nor the apostles referred to Mary as any type of queen, nor as the “Lady of the kingdoms.” A Sacred scripture clearly warns against doing anything, such as making cakes, to honor one known as “the queen of heaven” (Jeremiah 7:18-19; 44:17-25) and certainly condemns one called the “Lady of the kingdoms.” Some information is also in a video sermon Why Learn About Fatima?

The late Herbert Armstrong wrote the following related to Isaiah 47:

But WHO is the Power that will lay this YOKE of slavery upon, Britain and America? We begin to find this answer in the 47th chapter of Isaiah. Notice!

“Come down, and sit in the dust, 0 virgin daughter of Babylon,” is the salutation of this chapter, verse 1. It is addressed, not to the ancient Babylon of King Nebuchadnezzar. It is addressed to a descendant, or successor, of the ancient Chaldean Empire. It is addressed to a WOMAN. And in prophetic symbol the term “woman” represents a CHURCH (Eph. 5:23, 27, 32; II Cor. ll: 1-2; Rev. 19:6-9; Rev. 12:13-17, etc.). This “lady of Kingdoms” of Isaiah 47 is the same CHURCH pictured in Revelation 17 and 18. But let’s understand as we go along “… there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.” (Verse 1).

This “lady” is no longer a virgin! She is a prostitute. She is to LOSE her throne over political kingdoms. Notice her moral and spiritual fall: “Thy nakedness shall be uncovered , yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance … ” (verse 3 ).

God Almighty Himself is going to take vengeance on her. This can result only from spirirual harlotry, which is sin.

Continue: “Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou shall no more be called The Lady of Kingdoms.” (Verse 5 ) . The Moffatt translation is more plain: “Sit thou silent in the dark.” Light represents TRUTH. Darkness represents error and SIN. She is a fallen woman. She has reigned over KINGDOMS of NATIONS. But, from the time of the conclusion of this prophecy, she shall no longer be called “The Lady of Kingdoms”- that is, the CHURCH that had a kingdom over the political civil kingdoms…

God will give the House of Israel of today-Britain and America-into the hand of this “Lady of Kingdoms.” She, through the armies and secret police of the nations she shall sit upon and rule, will very heavily lay HER YOKE of slavery, torture, and martyrdom on our peoples! (Armstrong HW. BRITAIN’S DOOM Prophesied for Common Market Seeking Membership! Plain Truth, July 1962; he also said something similar in his Sermon dated November 27, 1982)

Here are some items from the late Radio/Worldwide Church of God evangelist Raymond McNair:

Fatima Portugal

THE Pope’s pilgrimage to Portugal is the biggest event ever to occur in this country!” an elated Portuguese exclaimed to me. This momentous occasion is the 50th anniversary of the first Fatima vision. It was on May 13, 1917 that three poor, uneducated Portuguese peasant children believed the Virgin Mary appeared to them, It is also the 25th anniversary of Pope Pius XII’s consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary! …

The Pope had come to Fatima to lead all Catholics worldwide in prayer for peace – peace within the Church, and peace in the whole world. …

“The first intention is for the Church …. We want to pray, as we have said, for its intemal peace.” Then the Pope gave a solemn warning to the ecclesiastical princes of the Catholic Church who do not agree with the official teachings of the Church. “What terrible damage could be provoked by arbitrary interpretations, not authorized by the teaching of the Church, disrupting its traditional and constitutional structure … ” …

The Pontiff then pointed to that great part of humanity which lives in hunger and in dire need. “Therefore, we say, the world is in DANGER. For this reason WE HAVE COME TO THE FEET OF THE QUEEN OF PEACE to ask her for the gift, which only God can give, of peace.” …

In the German Suddeutsche Zeitung there was an article in which it was revealed that Pope Paul VI had received a message in Fatima through the only remaining shepherd girl (who is now a nun). They were seen quite some time together and it appeared as if she had something to say to him. When asked in Rome, after his return, if his visit to Fatima was a success, Pope Paul said: “I went to Fatima to pray for peace to the Virgin Mary and I received the answer how to achieve this peace.”

There are many rumors that he did receive a message, but he has not wanted to divulge it.

Since the pilgrimage to Fatima, the Pope has spoken out on Jerusalem- demanding it become an international city. What most do not know is that there is evidence the Vatican has plans to move from Rome to Jerusalem … This event will stir the world! It will be the Pope’s final effort as the world’s peacemaker! (McNair R. The Real Meaning Behind POPE PAUL’S PILGRIMAGE TO PORTUGAL. Plain Truth, June 1967, pp. 3, 47)

Jerusalem will become increasingly important to Catholics in the near future. The Papacy will, as previously reported in The PLAIN TRUTH, be moved from Rome to Jerusalem … Bible prophecy is very explicit on this point. Furthermore, according to a recent report in a leading German newspaper, the Third Fatima Message is reported (by inside, informed Vatican sources) to reveal that there will be a terrible World War III, during which (according to this Fatima Vision) both Rome and the Vatican will be destroyed! Could this possibly explain why the Vatican will be moved to Jerusalem? (McNair R. POPE MEETS PATRIARCH. Plain Truth, October 1967)

For even more information on Isaiah 47 as well as Fatima and other apparitions, please check out the book Fatima Shock!

The Bible warns against end time Babylon and says that God’s people should not be part of it:

1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day – death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.” (Revelation 18:1-8)

Despite the biblical warnings about this, Pope Francis wants to use ‘Mary’ as a springboard for the type of ecumenical unity that the Bible condemns. Notice, for one example, how Pope Francis specifically appealed to Mary to unite prior to giving his ‘Angelus prayer’:

And we entrust this, our prayer, to the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church so that She, like a good Mother, may unite us. (Angelus Address: On the Thirst for Unity. January 25, 2015 http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/angelus-address-on-the-thirst-for-unity)

The ‘Angelus prayer’ starts out with the words, “Hail Mary” and the pontiff’s goal is a Babylonian unity. The Bible warns against that (Zechariah 2:6-9) and shows that true unity does not come through ‘Mary’ but happens AFTER the return of Jesus Christ (Zechariah 2:10-11; see also Why Should American Catholics Fear Unity with the Orthodox?).

False Marian apparitions and telling people to turn towards Mary are parts of Satan’s Plan (see also Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?).

Much of what many believe about Mary is contrary to the truth about Jesus’ mother.

God made no holidays for Mary.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions Do you know much about Mary? Are the apparitions real? What happened at Fatima? What might they mean for the rise of the ecumenical religion of Antichrist? Are Protestants moving towards Mary? How do the Eastern/Greek Orthodox view Mary? How might Mary view her adorers? Here is a link to a YouTube video Marian Apparitions May Fulfill Prophecy.
The ‘Lady’ of Guadalupe: Any Future Ramifications? It is claimed that a female apparition appeared near Mexico City on December 12, 1531. How has it affected the world? What might it suggest about the future? A video of related interest is titled: The ‘Lady of Guadalupe’ and Prophecy.
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here are links to a two-part sermon series: What are Some of the Parts of Satan’s Plan? and Satan’s Plan is More Dramatic than Many Realize.
Mystery of Civilization Why is civilization like it is? How will it end? What will replace it?Here is a link to a related sermon titled: Mystery of Civilization and How it Will End.
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?
Feast of the Immaculate Conception? Did early Christians teach Mary had an immaculate conception and led a sinless life?
Origin of the Marian Dogmas: Where Do Catholic Scholars Say The Four Dogmas of Mary Came From?
Assumption of Mary Did Mary die? Was she taken to heaven on August 15th? What is known? What does the Bible show?
What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did Catholic and Orthodox “saints” endorse or condemn idols and icons for Christians?
Fatima Shock! What the Vatican Does Not Want You to Know About Fatima, Dogmas of Mary, and Future Apparitions. Whether or not you believe anything happened at Fatima, if you live long enough, you will be affected by its ramifications (cf. Isaiah 47; Revelation 17). Fatima Shock! provides concerned Christians with enough Catholic-documented facts to effectively counter every false Marian argument. In addition to the print version, there is a Kindle version of Fatima Shock! which you can acquire in seconds.