Church of God News

CCOG portrayal of the Beast of Revelation 13:1-10

COGwriter

Early this week, Germany held an election and its presumed next chancellor Friedrich Merz pushed independence from the USA:

“My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA,” Merz said Sunday.

Merz added, “I never thought I would have to say something like this on a television program. But after Donald Trump’s statements last week at the latest, it is clear that the Americans, at least this part of the Americans, this administration, are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe.” 02/25/25 https://abcnews.go.com/International/germany-move-independence-us-new-leader/story?id=119115938

He was referring to both trade and military independence. The new reality is that the European Union is now focusing more on military spending and preparation for war without assistance from the USA:

This is how many more soldiers and investments Europe needs to protect itself without the US

28 February 2025

A new report says Europe could face a new aggression within the next decade. Here’s what it needs to defend itself without the Americans.

A new joint report by the Bruegel think tank and the Kiel Institute has warned that new Russian aggression in Europe is “conceivable”, citing NATO claims that Moscow could be “ready to attack within three to ten years”. …

Europe’s national armies have a combined force of about 1.5 million personnel – much more than the current US force in Europe.

The report states that, if Washington does withdraw troops, Europe would need an additional 300,000 servicemen or around 50 brigades. …

With or without America, ‘Europe needs more military capabilities’

But simply raising the number of troops might not be enough, tells Euronews Luigi Scazzieri, from the Centre for European Reform.

“Europeans need to step up their defence whether the Americans leave or not”.

“To generate credible deterrence, you need to have more capabilities, particularly those on which we rely most on the US: Long-range missiles, aerial defences, aerial supply, air surveillance and transportation, for example”, Scazzieri added. …

“With 1.5 million soldiers in service, you don’t need 300,000 more, you need to use them in the right places”, Nicolas Gros-Verheyde, defence and foreign policy journalist, tells Euronews. …

Another way to increase European deterrence would be extending the French nuclear shield, he says. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/02/28/this-is-how-many-more-soldiers-and-investments-europe-needs-to-protect-itself-without-the-

February 28, 2025

• EU foreign policy chief Kallas says “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to US, Europeans, to take this challenge.” https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-meets-zelensky-says-minerals-deal-be-signed-today-will-use-ukraine-rare-earths

After Donald Trump was elected the first time, Europe formed an alliance called PESCO. Related to that we put out a sermonette video: PESCO and a Great European Army.

Then, a year after Donald Trump left office, Russia began its ‘Special Military Operation’ into Ukraine.

That prompted calls and commitments for more European military spending.

Related to that, we uploaded the following video: Is the European Beast Growing Horns?

After Donald Trump’s re-election, it was reported on 26 November 2024 that:

The Council of the European Union has endorsed conclusions on the Strategic Review of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), a cornerstone of EU defence collaboration.  …

PESCO projects are encouraged to address strategic capability gaps, including those relevant to high-intensity warfare. Collaborative opportunities identified through the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) are to be prioritised for efficient resource utilisation. https://defence-industry.eu/council-of-the-european-union-approves-pesco-strategic-review-to-strengthen-defence-integration/

PESCO is moving forward.

The Bible prophesies that Europe will have a “great army” (Daniel 11:25) and many ships (Daniel 11:40), PESCO and calls for more troops, nuclear weapons, and other weapons by European leaders are consistent with those prophecies.

Europe will be militaristically successful for a time per Revelation 13:3-4 and Daniel 11:39-43.

Europe, itself, will become the aggressor against the USA in the future per Daniel 11:39.

The Medes include people in Russia, Belarus, lands claimed by Ukraine, and other areas.

European leaders, however, do not take biblical prophecies like these seriously.

Basically, they have seen the situation in Ukraine and Donald Trump, and it does not like either. It is scared enough now to support more of the militaristic goals, which in my view will be heavily based on technology.

The news report confirms that Europe wants a great army and more weapons like the Bible prophesies.

Europe’s military goals that will NOT end well for the United States (cf. Daniel 11:39), the Middle East (cf.  Daniel 11:40-43), nor for Europe itself.

UPDATE 03/02/25: We just uploaded the following related video:

14:26

European Union wants military independence from the USA

European Union wants to be militarily independent of the USA – check European Union wants a larger military – check European Union wants nukes – check European Union wants this for defensive purposes – Will Europe acquire a great army? Will Europe defeat the Biblical King of the South? Is Europe the King of the North? Will Europe defeat the King(s) from the east? Here’s a big question – will Europe conquer the United States of America? Is the United State of America mentioned in the Bible? These are fascinating questions that will be answered in the very near future. The fact that these conflicts will occur is a certainty as they are a prophesied fact in the Bible in the book of Daniel But when will these conflicts occur? Daniel was told to shut up the words, they were for the time of the end. Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. We are there. This is the time of the end. Dr. Thiel will shine the light on the answers to these questions. One answer, in particular, is sure to stun thousands.

Here is a link to our video: European Union wants military independence from the USA.

That said, there will be good news as after Europe is defeated by a Eurasian power, Jesus will return to establish the millennial kingdom of God.

But before then, we will have tribulation, totalitarianism, and war.

Some items of related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is are links to related videos: European history and the Bible, Europe In Prophecy, The End of European Babylon, and Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European? Here is a link to a related sermon in the Spanish language: El Fin de la Babilonia Europea.
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.
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.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.
The Great Monarch: Biblical and Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies Is the ‘Great Monarch’ of Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies endorsed or condemned by the Bible? Two sermons of related interest are also available: Great Monarch: Messiah or False Christ? and Great Monarch in 50+ Beast Prophecies.
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 Greco-Roman 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 link to a video Is the USA Pushing Germany to Start WWIII?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?  Is Donald Trump going to save the USA or are there going to be many disastrous unintended consequences of his statements and policies? What will happen. The link takes you to a book available at Amazon.com.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Kindle 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 Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?

(UnSplash photo)

COGwriter

There is another viral concern in the Congo:

Another mystery disease outbreak in DR Congo: What we know

Is a new virus causing a disease outbreak and deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or is it already known to science?

28 February 2028

Another mystery disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo  has emerged in recent weeks, resulting in at least 60 deaths, officials say.

It follows a similar event in September 2024, referred to as “Disease X” before the World Health Organization (WHO) identified it as a cocktail of several known acute respiratory illnesses complicated by malaria and malnutrition.

These new outbreaks could have similar origins, but it will likely take time to determine exactly what the cause is.

What is the current situation in the DR Congo?

More than 1,000 cases have been reported across the DR Congo’s Equateur province and 141 cases of a disease have been reported in Basankusu’s health zone. A separate outbreak in early February consisted of 158 cases and 58 deaths. …

Health authorities in the DR Congo and WHO experts are carrying out investigations to determine the cause of the illness and deaths.

Early lab tests ruled out Ebola and Marburg disease. Half of those tested have tested positive for malaria.

Further testing will be undertaken for meningitis and potential toxic contamination. Influenza and typhoid have also been suggested as possible causes of disease. …

The cause of the disease — and whether the illnesses in different regions are connected — remains unknown.

Early reports suggested the first cases were among a group of children who may have eaten a bat, though this incident is not yet confirmed as the cause of the outbreak.

Bats are known reservoirs of viruses and other disease-causing pathogens. Global health advice recommends people steer clear of exposure to dead animals. …

What are the symptoms of the mystery disease?

The WHO’s latest memo says symptoms are broad, and include fever, headaches, chills, sweating, stiffness in the neck, muscular aches, joint and body pain, coughing, vomiting and diarrhea.

The broadness of these symptoms and their potential to apply to many diseases makes it impossible to pinpoint the cause without analysis of biological samples from patients.

Health experts say the mystery disease is likely caused by several known pathogens acting together. https://www.dw.com/en/another-mystery-disease-outbreak-in-dr-congo-what-we-know/a-71783032

Mystery Disease Linked to Bats Kills Scores in Congo

Illness raises concerns that more diseases are spreading from animals to humans

KAMPALA, Uganda—A fast-spreading mystery illness linked to bats has killed scores of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with nearly half dying within 48 hours of showing symptoms, the World Health Organization said … 02/27/25 https://www.wsj.com/world/africa/mystery-disease-linked-to-bats-kills-scores-in-congo-cc66ca23

As long time readers of this COGwriter Church of God page are aware, I have long pointed out the consumption of biblical unclean animals, such as bats, and viruses.

According to the word of God, such creatures should not be eaten (see The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats).

If people would stop eating biblical unclean animals, there would be less viruses that appear.

Before going further, let me add that war and violence are also major problems in the Congo now as well:

February 28, 2025

• Summary

• Thirteen killed, 68 wounded in attack on Thursday
• Rebel advance this year raises risk of regional war
• African ministers to discuss ceasefire

Feb 28 (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels traded blame on Friday for several explosions at a rally in the rebel-held eastern city of Bukavu that killed 13 people and wounded scores of others the previous day. The finger-pointing over the deadly incident has further inflamed tensions in eastern Congo – a political and ethnic tinder box – where a rebel advance this year has drawn in neighbouring armies, raising fears of a regional war. Congo’s army said Rwandan troops, who it accuses of supporting the rebels, fired rockets and grenades into a crowd gathered in Bukavu’s central square for a speech by one of the uprising’s leaders on Thursday. https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congo-trades-blame-with-rebels-over-deadly-rally-blasts-2025-02-28/

Perhaps I should add that the Continuing Church of God recently provided food aid to brethren in the Congo who have been impacted by the violence there earlier this month.

Notice the following from the Old Testament:

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you. (Proverbs 3:27-28)

We are to do good as soon as we can, to the extent that we can.

Many Christians have given up on places like Africa and Haiti.

Some do not seem to take seriously enough something that the Apostle Paul wrote:

9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:9-10)

Similarly, the Apostle James wrote:

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:14-17)

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)

While we in CCOG cannot solve all the hunger in the world, we take scriptures seriously, including the following:

3 A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. (Proverbs 22:3a NLT)

5 “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in the summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son of shame” (Proverbs 10:5).

We in the CCOG realize that famines are prophesied. We have been taking steps to increase food production where we can as well as providing food for hungry brethren.

We are being “doers” and “not hearers only.” That is the Philadelphian thing to do. Philadelphia means “love of the brethren.” That involves action.  See also Why is there a Philadelphian remnant of the true Christian Church of God?

That said, late last year, something called ‘Disease X’ was causing concern in the Congo:

Mystery ‘Disease X’ outbreak widens as WHO sends rapid response team to DR Congo

Dozens of people have died in southwest Congo after contracting a mysterious illness, dubbed Disease X

9 December 2024

More cases of a mysterious flu-like illness labelled “Disease X” were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the World Health Organization has dispatched a rapid response team to help investigate. …

While more than half of the cases involve children under 5, a 50-year-old man hospitalised in Lucca, Italy, is suspected to have recovered from the disease after a business trip to Congo, Il Tempo reported. …

Acute pneumonia, influenza, Covid-19, measles and malaria are considered as potential causal factors based on the signs and symptoms of those afflicted, the WHO said, adding that response teams are helping to treat patients and raise awareness of the outbreak within affected communities.

Malaria is common in the area, and it may be causing or contributing to the cases, the United Nations health agency said. “Laboratory tests are under way to determine the exact cause. At this stage, it is also possible that more than one disease is contributing to the cases and deaths.”

The Africa CDC, the continent’s health authority, has said that initial findings indicate that Disease X might be airborne. https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3289955/mystery-disease-x-outbreak-widens-who-sends-rapid-response-team-dr-congo

When I did a search on Twitter (now called X) a while back, I came across the following:

Disease X is coming. Are we ready for the next pandemic? https://t.co/H4Wc4Gf0hl

— Connor G. G. Bamford, Ph.D (@cggbamford) March 19, 2023

While the above was not specifically predicting the disease in Congo, it is interesting that Dr. Bamford predicted a ‘Disease X.’

Many believe that a natural or human-engineered pandemic is to come soon. Globalist political and totalitarian interests are sometimes cited as a reason (e.g. RM: Pandemics as a Catalyst for a New World Order; COGWriter, that is consistent with the Ride of the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse).

The biblical reality is that the Bible shows that Jesus prophesied a sequence of events, which included pestilences (which the WHO and others now tend to term as pandemics) to occur before the end (the start of the Great Tribulation in this context):

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

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

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:3-21)

Essentially the Great Tribulation begins with WWIII, but is proceeded by one or more deadly pandemics.

Related to a deadly pestilence, the Book of Revelation states:

7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:7-8)

So, the opening of the fourth seal is the time that the pale horse of death is one of increasing death by war, hunger, and pestilences (which includes microscopic and large beasts of the earth).

In a radio broadcast related to the the fifth seal in Revelation, the late Pastor General of the old Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong? taught:

Jesus … said that there would be famines and terrible pestilences or epidemics of disease that the medical authorities would not be able to cope with at all. And then was to come the Great Tribulation … the World War … now this gospel of the Kingdom of God, the government of God is to go out to all nations …

In the sixth chapter of Revelation here, the first horse that we see here that John sees in his vision where he sees first the four horses in his vision. The first was the white horse which is the false preachers. And yet nearly everybody believes it’s Christ or the true preachers. And the second was the horse that was red. And that’s the war. And a third is the black horse which is famine. And next comes the pale horse that Jesus had interpreted as the pestilence of the disease epidemic.

And then after that, now the very next thing to happen is then the Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation is dual. As I said, it is nationally an invasion of our people by this very force. This factor, this great power that is now rising up in Europe, … Now, here it is the fifth seal. (Armstrong HW. The 5th Seal – Revelation. Radio broadcast TWT2279A. https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbroadcast&InfoID=1366473266)

As far as the rise of the power in Europe goes, at least some of the justification for the rise of the Beast power will be to cite decisions and proposals by the United Nations, its World Health Organization, and/or its World Health Assembly.

That looks to be consistent with Bible prophecy which also teaches that this Beast leader will be in place after the fourth seal is opened as well as just before the fifth seal is opened.

The Bible shows that the coming European King of the North beast will gain power after a time of death and pestilence.

While COVID-19 itself was not that, and Disease X is currently somewhat limited, the COVID pandemic was used by various globalists in a way which will help set the stage for people to turn to such a leader.

Related to the rise of the Beast after a pandemic, the Continuing Church of God put out the following sermon on our ContinuingCOG channel:

1:16:57

Fourth Horseman, COVID, and the Rise of the Beast of Revelation

The 6th chapter of the Book of Revelation tells of the ride of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. What do each represent? Is the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, part of the fourth horseman? Does the Bible point to around 2 billion people dying from hunger, war, and the beasts of the earth? Was the ancient Roman Empire impacted by pestilences? What about the black death, also known as the Bubonic plague? Are disease epidemics part of the beginning of sorrow and troubles that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24 and Mark 13? Does the pale green horseman represent Islam? Could genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or synthetic biology cause or contribute to coming pandemics? Is chemical and biological warfare (CBW) a real threat to humanity? What about a doomsday bug or antibiotic resistant superbugs? Is fear a contagion that will help people move away from democracy? Will scientists be able to stop what is coming? Is the good news that the Kingdom of God will? Could COVID-19 be setting the stage for the rise of the ‘prince,’ who will become the totalitarian Beast of the Sea (also known as 666 and the King of the North)? Is this leader similar to the Great Monarch of Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies? When is the Great Monarch supposed to arise according to the Eastern Orthodox? Why might Europe be less affected by the ride of the third horseman that the US, Canada, and the UK? Are governments taking steps now, consistent with the words of Adolf Hitler? What seal represents the start of the Great Tribulation? Which Christians did Jesus promise to protect from the coming “hour of trial”?

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

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.
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.
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 Sorrows and 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?
CCOG on vaccines Pestilences are coming. Is it ever appropriate for Christians to get vaccinated?
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. Here is a version of that sermon in Spanish: El Cuarto Caballo, El COVID y El Surgimiento de la Bestia del Apocalipsis. 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.
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.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here are links to two related videos: The King of the North is Alive: What to Look Out For and The Future King of the North.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2025, 2026, or 2027? 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? A short video is available titled: Great Tribulation Trends 2025.

COGwriter

PCG posted the following to promote one of its telecasts by Gerald Flurry:

The Little Book—God’s Path to Glory

God’s loyal people in this end time are charged with delivering an urgent warning to the world. This warning is contained in a little book. Learn where to find this little book—and how it illuminates God’s path to glory.

In that telecast, Gerald Flurry claims that the “little book” of Revelation 10 was to be written down in the end times. Yet, notice what Revelation 10 says:

1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”

5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, 7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”

9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”

And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” (Revelation 10:1-11)

Notice that the little book existed in John’s time and he actually ate it. PCG considers a book written by Gerald Flurry called Malachi’s Message to be the “little book” discussed in Revelation 10. Anyway, no, Malachi’s Message is not God’s path to glory.

Also, no, John did not eat Gerald Flurry’s book called Malachi’s Message. For those who may disagree, ask yourself that since Gerald Flurry changed the book, which edition would John have eaten? Obviously, John did not eat any edition of Gerald Flurry’s writings.

Some time earlier, PCG posted the following from its leader Gerald Flurry:

The Malachi’s Message Warning

The “little book” mentioned in the book of Revelation introduces the lukewarm Laodicean era of God’s Church. While the world catapults into self-annihilation, the little book discusses a deadly spiritual falling away. God gave His people a message to deliver, but they quit prophesying.

However, God won’t be stopped by a few rebels; He raised up the ruins through a loyal remnant. The little book explains this miracle in great detail.

Once the little book is revealed, the Great Tribulation and the work of the two witnesses are imminent. Beyond that, the little book points to the soon-to-come return of Jesus Christ. Readers of the truth inside the little book will understand this powerful King will end mankind’s disastrous rule and set up a perfect eternal government. …

The late Herbert W. Armstrong delivered the mystery message, largely through his greatest work, Mystery of the Ages. …study Mystery of the Ages to build a spiritual foundation before you read the little book. …

“And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter” (Revelation 10:8-10).

God wants us to eat up the little book! We must devour and digest this bittersweet message.

Here is more of what the improperly-named Philadelphia Church of God (PCG) teaches about their view of the ‘little book’:

The stormy wind comes in the form of the little book of Rev. 10. THAT LITTLE BOOK IS MALACHI’S MESSAGE. That little book is the vanguard of the STORMY WIND. (Flurry, Gerald. The Little Book. Philadelphia Trumpet. Sept-Oct 1992).

We also firmly believe that Malachi’s Message is the little book of Revelation 10. (Leap Dennis. As quoted in Philadelphia Official Responds. The Journal. June 30, 1998. p.8).

The little book and our message is to measure the Church to prove that they are Laodiceans (Flurry, Gerald. Lamentations and the End-Time Laodiceans. Booklet. 1993. p.6.).

God has commissioned the PCG to prophesy again. God has given us the LITTLE BOOK–Malachi’s Message–because we are the only Church which knows how to ‘PROPHESY AGAIN’ (Flurry, Gerald. From the Beginning. Booklet. 1996. p.34).

We now ‘prophesy AGAIN,’ after God’s message was stopped by His own people (Rev. 10:11). Revelation 10:11 actually says, “And he said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings’ ” (Flurry, G. The Solution to Israel’s Problems. Philadelphia Trumpet, Dec 2002, p. 26).

PCG claims extra-human inspiration for its Malachi’s Message booklet:

The PCG does believe that Malachi’s Message is more than a human work (Leap Dennis. As quoted in Philadelphia Official Responds. The Journal. June 30, 1998. p.8).

Malachi’s Message was delivered to me and the PCG in 1989. A MIGHTY ANGEL DIRECTLY FROM GOD REVEALED IT! (Flurry, Gerald. The Little Book. Philadelphia Trumpet. Sept-Oct 1992).

Yet, they changed it:

The PCG’s main publication, Malachi’s Message, was drastically improved in 1991. Much of that summer was spent on adding sections, editing, and giving it a new format like most other small books. The improvements are astounding (Flurry, Stephen. 1991: A Year to Remember. Philadelphia Trumpet. February 1992).

By writing that “PCG’s main publication, Malachi’s Message, was drastically improved in 1991” this absolutely proves that it was not a message originally received from an angel of God and that John could have eaten it. It was changed! And PCG changed it!

There have been many changes from the original booklet in 1990 (which I read) and the newer 1995 version (which I also read) which makes me wonder the same thing about revising Malachi’s Message that a former Philadelphia pastor asked:

“Why would anyone dare to change a revelation from God? (Schaeffer, Randy. In Former PCG Elders Say Church in Crisis, Moving Away from Its Founding Principles. The Journal. June 30, 1999. p.9)

Only one that did not want to believe and accept a revelation from God would change it. PCG changed it, however, because it realized that it had errors. Hence it was NOT a message from a true angel of God.

Yet, PCG claims the booklet was prophesied:

Malachi’s Message Prophesied! … ‘And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts’ (Mal. 2:4). This is a specific prophecy about Malachi’s Message. GOD SAID ‘I SENT’ THIS MESSAGE TO YOU, AND ‘YOU SHALL KNOW’ THAT GOD SENT IT! They will know before or during the Great Tribulation that Malachi’s Message is from God (Flurry, Gerald. Malachi’s Message to God’s Church Today. Booklet. 1995. p.30).

These prophesies in Malachi could occur only after Mr. Armstrong was dead (Flurry, Gerald. Malachi’s Message to God’s Church Today. Booklet. 1995. p.143.).

Today, people often ask, ‘Where does Mr. Flurry get his authority? Where does Mr. Flurry and the PCG get authority to rebuild the temple?’ Zerubbabel’s experience typifies the PCG today. In a similar vein, we get our authority from some original signed documents. Our are not civil, legal documents. The documents authorizing the PCG and our work are the writings of Herbert W. Armstrong. The PCG is the only Church that holds onto ALL of what Christ established through Mr. Armstrong (Flurry, Gerald and Leap, Dennis. Ezra and Nehemiah: Building God’s Temple. Booklet. 1997. p.29).

Even a casual reading of the article Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God should reveal to any with eyes to see that PCG admits that it does not hold onto ALL of what Christ established through Herbert W. Armstrong.

Similar to some others, PCG oddly claims:

The PCG is the only Church that holds onto ALL of what Christ established through Mr. Armstrong (Flurry, Gerald and Leap, Dennis. Ezra and Nehemiah: Building God’s Temple. Booklet. 1997. p.29).

Herbert Armstrong had a completely different view of Revelation 10 and many other PCG doctrinal claims:

Now notice this tenth chapter–an inset chapter, not necessarily at all occurring at the TIME sequence of the end of the ninth chapter. The actual recording of EVENTS, TIME-WISE, is not continued until chapter 11, verse 15.

This chapter 10 has been virtually OVERLOOKED. I did not comment on it in the earlier days, or expound it when I wrote the OUTLINE of the book of Revelation, or the full booklet on the revelation. There was NO WAY it could have been understood then–until after subsequent events–just as we could not have understood how Satan sways the entire WORLD, as explained in Eph. 2.1-2, until we had radio and television.

A MIGHTY ANGEL comes down from heaven, his face as the SUN, his feet as pillars of fire. His voice was as the roar of a lion. He set his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth.

He had a LITTLE BOOK open.

This mighty angel in the second half of this inset prophecy, beginning verse 6, swears by the Eternal GOD there shall be “time no longer” (A.V.–marginal translation—”no more delay”. But the angel continues, “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, (7th trumpet–which shall be the 7 last plagues–and which also is the PRECISE TIME of Christ’s coming as KING over the earth)–when He shall begin to sound the mystery of God should be finished…” (verse 6-7).

I italicized “when He shall” referring to the sounding of the last and FINAL trumpet, to show that the time setting of this brief two-part inset prophecy is NOT AT OR IMMEDIATELY AFTER the 6th trumpet of chapter 9) –but SOME TIME PRIOR TO IT! Therefore, in time setting, this is a flashback. Now continue:

The Apostle John in his vision is told to take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel, and eat it up.

HOW LIKE EZEKIEL’S PROPHECY!

It was sweet as honey in his mouth but BITTER in his stomach.

The message of that little book seems to be what the angel next said, “Thou must prophesy [proclaim–preach—foretell] again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues and KINGS!”

Now WHEN?

The message of the little book written on both sides of a roll, to be eaten and swallowed, takes us directly back to Ezekiel’s prophecy. Ezekiel himself, as I have shown. NEVER WENT TO ISRAEL, NEVER DELIVERED THAT MESSAGE. It was not a prophecy for the Israel of his day–but for OUR DAY, NOW. Ezekiel’s prophecy was NOT a message to MANY NATIONS, speaking different languages, and to their KINGS. It was to the REBELLIOUS PEOPLE of the House of Israel and it was emphasized to Ezekiel they were NOT of strange speech–NOT foreign Gentile nations.

This WORK OF GOD did carry that message to those same people in OUR DAY, prior to January, 1972.

I felt I had reason to believe it was POSSIBLE that OUR WORK would be FINISHED by January, 1972, I wrote and printed that many times. But I also said I WAS NOT SETTING DATES–it was not CERTAIN!

It was a possibility. But being HUMAN, many of those supporting me in this Work did take it as a definite date. Up until then they sacrificed to send in tithes and offerings for God’s WORK, when the Work did NOT end in January, 1972, some FOOLISHLY said, “Now I’m through going without things I like to have–my Lord delayeth His coming!” Read what God says of those who say and do that (Matt. 24:48-51).

Now WHEN is the TIME of this prophecy in Revelation?

Read right on. Chapter 11 is merely a chapter division written by MEN. But John’s book of Revelation continues right on. The apostle, in his vision, is told now by this same angel to rise and MEASURE THE TEMPLE. But LEAVE OUT the court which is for the Gentiles, for they shall tread down the Holy City for 3 1/2 years.

So the TIME of our prophecy is at least 3 1/2 YEARS before Christ’s coming–before THE GREAT TRIBULATION before the beginning of the DAY OF THE LORD and before the seventh angel blows the last trumpet!

Then it continues on into the message of the TWO WITNESSES–also referred to and perhaps identified in Haggai and Zechariah.

And THEY SHALL PREACH A LAST WARNING TO THE WHOLE WORLD FOR 3 1/2 YEARS! And it is not until after ALL THIS, that the time element picks back up with the sounding of the 7th trumpet in chapter 11:15. (Armstrong, Herbert W. Co-worker letter, November 19, 1976).

Thus, for PCG to state that it has the same teachings as HWA is again shown as incorrect. HWA gave his views, which PCG claims to accept.

Anyway after Revelation 10, came the other chapters of Revelation, which John wrote prophecies about kings and nations. And we are seeing steps leading to the fulfillment of those prophecies today.

Now in his book, Malachi’s Message (1995 edition), in the chapter titled “Man of Sin,” Gerald Flurry wrote:

God’s Church has applied 2 Thessalonians 2:4 to the world for the most part. But it doesn’t apply to the world…

“Even him [the “son of perdition”], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). The word “signs” is rendered “pretended signs” by the Revised Standard Version. This “son of perdition” is heavily influenced by Satan…In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul discusses signs and lying wonders of a false leader or lying apostle (Revelation 2:2)…

Mr. Tkach was an innermost disciple—more so than other Church leaders—in those last seven years of Mr. Armstrong’s life. The leadership discussed in 2 Thessalonians 2 must be in Pasadena today. (pp. 79,88,89,99)

But this false leader is not J. Tkach Sr. who Gerald Flurry originally identified in Malachi’s Message nor anyone who was part of the Tkach Administration in Pasadena in 1995. Furthermore, the type of signs and lying wonders that the Apostle Paul referred to have not accompanied any in the Tkach Administration.

Furthermore, while Gerald Flurry tries to ‘spiritualize’ that away, the reality is that the rest of the verses in 2 Thessalonians 2 did not happen:

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

The emergence of the Tkach Administration did not come with ALL POWER, SIGNS, AND LYING WONDERS. Nor did it result in the world believing a strong delusion–the world believed the usual delusions that they have always believed.

Also notice verse 8 in 2 Thessalonians 2:

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

Joseph Tkach, Sr. died in 1995 and Jesus has not come. Nor did I believe that any around Pasadena/Glendale in the Tkach Administration (which became Grace Communion International, GCI) were possibly the subject of 2 Thessalonians 2:8 (GCI is now located in Charlotte, NC). Gerald Flurry is in error. Demons give false messages and Gerald Flurry’s claim that his source was angelic indicates that it was a demonic source–it is that or his own imagination and/or he got it from someone else. Either way, his message contains falsehoods and errors.

To learn the truth about the identity of the ‘man of sin,’ please rely on what the Bible says, not tradition or Gerald Flurry’s writings (note: various other COGs also misunderstand the identity of the man of sin). An article to assist you with a correct understanding would be Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?; here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? Here is a link to a related YouTube video, in English, titled Who is the Man of Sin?

Gerald Flurry is not God’s prophet. Those interested in learning the truth about Christian prophets should study the article How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God; here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God.

As far as Malachi goes, the prophet Malachi’s four chapter book contains God’s message. It is not the message that an apparent demon and/or human imagination gave Gerald Flurry.

Information about some or what Malachi taught is in the articles The Elijah Heresies and Tithing Questions and Some Answers.

That said, PCG, like most others, does not actually know why God made anything nor the purpose for YOUR life.

However, you can if you will prayerfully read your Bible along with studying our free online booklet: The MYSTERY of GOD’s PLAN: Why Did God Create Anything? Why Did God Make You?

Donald Trump ‘Third Temple’ coin
(Photos: Mikdash Educational Center)

COGwriter

A reader in Italy sent me the following link to an article by a Roman Catholic writer: https://www.maurizioblondet.it/110484-2/

That article is in Italian and is very long. Here are some machine-translated excerpts:

Towards the Third Temple, the final blasphemy against Christ

27 February 2025

Among the consequences of Israel’s more than year-long military campaign in Gaza is a renewed enthusiasm among both Jews and Christian Zionists for the construction of a so-called “third temple” in Jerusalem.

Last August, for example, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Temple Mount (for the sixth time) where he called for the right of Jews to pray on the site and build a synagogue. The Israeli daily Haaretz, which covered the event, called it an “act of deception,” concealing the long-term goal of razing Islamic structures on the Temple Mount and building the Third Temple.[1]

Earlier last year, in a television interview, a far-right member of the Knesset endorsed the construction of the third Temple where “we will be able to eat … from the Passover sacrifices. [2] After the US presidential election in November, Yosef Berger, the rabbi in charge of the site of King David’s Tomb, declared that “Like Cyrus, God put Donald Trump in power to build the Temple and pave the way for the moshiach [messiah].”[3] …

However, the building of the Third Temple, with its apparent revival of Mosaic Law and animal sacrifice, represents an affront to heaven that openly rejects the redemption of both Jews and Gentiles by Jesus Christ. …

Access to the Temple Mount has also stimulated Jewish activism to begin preparing for the third Temple. At least three major organizations have been working toward this goal for several decades. They are the Temple Institute,[50] the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement (abbreviated TMF),[51] and Returning to the Temple Mount.[52] Note that all three organizations maintain English-language websites, calculated to appeal to the many American and European Christian Zionists who support the Temple initiative.

Collectively known as the “Temple Mount movement,” these organizations represent an eclectic mix of Orthodox Jews and secular Zionists. The government-funded Temple Institute operates a visitors center and museum in Jerusalem, trains priests, makes vessels for use in ritual ceremonies, and indoctrinates Israeli schoolchildren with its program. Incredibly, the Temple Institute claims to know the precise and hidden location of the Ark of the Covenant, “awaiting the day when it will be revealed.”[53]

The TMF website states that “(t)he Temple Mount can never be consecrated to the Name of God without removing these pagan shrines [the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock]. It has been suggested that they be removed, relocated, and rebuilt in Mecca.” Furthermore, consecrating the Temple Mount will make it “the moral and spiritual center of Israel, the Jewish people, and the entire world.”[54] In 1990, the TMF attempted to lay a cornerstone of the Third Temple, leading to a riot on the Temple Mount in which seventeen Palestinians were killed.[55] The movement’s leader, Gershon Salomon, only regretted that Muslim blood had contaminated the Temple Mount. In 2022, the TMF announced on Facebook that it will “offer a cash reward to those who succeed in sacrificing a lamb on the Temple Mount, as well as to those arrested in the process.”[56]

According to the Lord’s command to Moses and Aaron in Numbers 19:1-10, the people of Israel are to procure “a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no spot, and upon which no yoke has ever come.” As author Victoria Clark describes it, the ritual sacrifice of the heifer “will provide the ashes necessary for the purification, first of the builders, and then of the future priests of the Temple. According to the divine instructions detailed in Numbers 19, the animal must be without a single spot and red from head to foot. If there were nine such heifers between the late thirteenth century BCE, when Moses lived, and the destruction of the Second Temple in CE 70, there were none at all for nearly two thousand years thereafter.”[62] (The twelfth-century Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides had proclaimed that the appearance of the tenth heifer would signal the coming of the Messiah.) American Christian Zionists came to the rescue, first in the person of Clyde Lott, a Pentecostal preacher and cattle rancher from Mississippi. After lengthy negotiations with Orthodox rabbis at the Temple Institute in the 1990s, Lott prepared to ship thousands of Red Angus cattle to Israel, where the perfect Red Heifer, in accordance with rabbinic guidelines, could be bred. Lott toured the United States, speaking at churches and conferences and raising significant funds. Donors were solicited to sponsor, for example, the purchase of a Red Heifer for $1000, or half a heifer, or the plane ticket for a cow for $341.[63]

The red heifer project evoked the full range of predictable reactions in largely secular Israel where, for example, Jewish author Gershom Gorenberg sarcastically referred to Lott and his associates as “doomsday herders.” The Temple Institute has had at least two “near misses” in its breeding efforts over the years. This includes the highly publicized birth of Melody in 1996, a pure red calf who inappropriately developed a tuft of white hair on her tail before the age of two.[64] Undaunted, Jewish activists with the support of American Christian Zionists continue their search for the perfect red heifer. …

Most of the prerequisites for a third temple are now in place. The only exceptions are access to the Temple Mount and a suitable red heifer. As the occupying power of East Jerusalem, the Israeli government could at any time authorize the destruction of Muslim structures on the Temple Mount, thus allowing construction of the temple to begin.

During his first administration, Trump brokered what became known as the Abrahamic Accords between Israel and four Arab countries. Likewise, his administration assisted in the creation of the Abrahamic Family House, a previously unimaginable “interfaith complex” consisting of a mosque, a Catholic church, and a synagogue in Abu Dhabi. Given his considerable ego and “lame duck” status as president, it would be entirely typical of Trump to broker a deal that would allow for the construction of the Third Temple. Furthermore, Trump is a real estate man by trade: he can relate to (and perhaps envy) the great roles of Solomon, Cyrus, and Herod in the construction of the previous Temples. Rabbi Yosef Berger, quoted at the beginning of this article, stated in November that “Like Cyrus, God put Donald Trump in power to build the Temple and pave the way for Moshiach [messiah].” The Temple will be built by non-Jews, something that “will only be fully revealed after Trump fulfills this role.”[67]

While I do not consider that a ‘third temple’ is “the final blasphemy against Christ,” I do agree that one is not required since Jesus’ sacrifice.

And it is also true that groups like the Temple Institute believe that they will need to clear Islamic structures from the area known as the Temple Mount in order to build its temple:

When will the reconstruction of the Holy Temple Commence?

There are two approaches to answering this question.

One approach is based on the geo-political dynamics of the Temple Mount, and the other approach is based on the desire of the nation of Israel and her fellow nations to rebuild the Holy Temple.

Geo-politically, the Temple Mount has to be cleared of the Dome of the Rock and the mosques which are presently located upon it before the physical rebuilding of the Holy Temple can begin. Many scenarios can be imagined which would accomplish this, the most promising, and not necessarily the most far-fetched, would entail Moslem recognition of the Mount as the intended location for the rebuilt Temple. With the acquiescence of the Moslem world the Moslem structures currently on the Mount would be disassembled and reassembled elsewhere. (http://www.templeinstitute.org/frequently-asked-questions.htm viewed 11/10/13)

Of course, the Muslims are not interested in getting their famous Dome of the Rock and their mosques removed–putting in such a temple would bring war, not peace. That is part of why I have long understood that the Jews would be willing to resume animal sacrifices without the rebuilding of a full Jewish Temple–and that is consistent with the Bible (Ezra 3:6) as well as the position of certain Jewish leaders, such as those in the reconstituted Sanhedrin (see Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?) and even some at the Temple Institute.

Notice something that the late Pastor General of the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God, Herbert W. Armstrong, wrote about this:

God made a prophecy in the third chapter of Malachy…Continuing, “…shall suddenly come to His temple…” What kind of temple is He coming to? Are the Jews going to tear down the Dome of the Rock and build a new temple? Oh, no!… A holy temple! Christ is coming to His church! Christ is coming to His temple! Do we see that? The church is the temple. “…in whom ye are also builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Armstrong, Herbert W. Congress of Leading Ministers Hears Defined and Reemphasized Spiritual Organization of Church. Worldwide News, March 6, 1981, p. 10)

“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles [New Testament] and prophets [Old Testament], Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy TEMPLE in the Lord” (verses 20-21). So God reveals here that the Church is: 1) the HOUSEHOLD or begotten FAMILY of God; 2) a building—a HOLY TEMPLE—fitly joined together—that is, well organized (and, of course, on GOD’S pattern). As a building—the HOLY TEMPLE to which Christ will come—it is built on a FIRM FOUNDATION: the apostles, chosen by Christ, and the prophets. …

There has been much perplexity and discussion as to when the temple will be built to which Christ shall come. Malachi’s prophecy speaks of Christ’s second coming to His temple (Malachi 3:1-6). In Haggai’s prophecy it is referred to prophetically. Zerubbabel has been sent as governor of a colony to build the second temple 70 years after the destruction of Solomon’s temple. He built the temple to which Jesus came, though it had been enlarged and embellished by the Roman Herod. But speaking of this temple, as a type and forerunner of the temple to which Christ shall come at His second coming , it is written, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the ‘ Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:9).

It is inconceivable that the Israelis, in the present international turmoil over their possession of old Jerusalem, could ever demolish the Arab Moslem Dome of the Rock – now on the site of Solomon’s temple-and build a new one there of greater splendor and glory than Solomon’s! However, as the second temple Zerubbabel was building was a typical forerunner of the temple to which Christ shall come, even so Zerubbabel was the typical forerunner of one Christ would use in building the far more glorious temple to, which Christ shall come in His GLORY!

Zechariah 4:9 : “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it . . .. ” And as Zerubbabel’s hands did finish that second temple, so shall the one Christ uses in building the temple to which He shall come in His GLORY!

And the Church of God of the present day shall be a “building fitly framed together [and growing] unto an holy temple in the Lord” (Ephesians 2:21). (Armstrong HW. 7 Proofs of God’s True Church, Part 6. Plain Truth. August, 1979, p. 38)

Many of us are being tried and tested as NEVER BEFORE–and for our own good! But, verse 11, “from the time the daily sacrifice shall be taken away ….Consider this a moment. This does NOT imply a material temple to be built in our time in Jerusalem. It does seem to imply the Israelis may restore the daily (twice daily) sacrifice–possibly at the wailing wall. (Armstrong HW. The Time We Are In, Now. Pastor General’s Report-Vol 1, No. 15, November 20, 1979, Page 2)

Let me also add here that the old Church of God, the group that changed its name to Church of God (Seventh-Day) in the 20th century, published the following in the 19th century:

What is the ‘holy place’? I understand it to be the Church, which is called the temple. Turn to 1st Cor. 3:16, 17. (Watkins J. The Midnight Cry. Hope of Israel, October 28, 1863)

So, a published Church of God position in the 1800s was that the ‘holy place’ and the temple was the Christian church.

Here is what Jesus stated:

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15)

In that verse, Jesus says that we should look at Daniel. Jesus also taught that the one who reads this passage needs to understand something—perhaps Jesus’ comment itself suggests that the apparent idea that “a physical Jewish temple may be required” may not be correct?

Carefully, notice that no temple of any kind is specifically mentioned in this passage. Bible literalists should realize that perhaps a future Jewish, physical temple is not being referred to by Jesus here, but that Jesus is referring to either the area the temple was originally built at or to something else in the city of Jerusalem.

Thus, it seems improper to teach that Jesus is specifically teaching that a third Jewish temple will be rebuilt as there is no scripture in the entire New Testament that shows that He specifically taught that.

Although several Jewish groups want a massive temple to be built, and some hope the current religiously-inclined government in Israel will support that building. Let me add that representatives of the Reconstituted Sanhedrin and Temple Institute have directly told me that all that they need to resume animal sacrifices is an altar. And they have had one for years–the Reconstituted Sanhedrin specifically performed a ceremony on December 10, 2018 to dedicate a new altar for the use of daily sacrifices (for more information, watch: Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!).

It should pointed out that the Bible itself specifically shows that sacrifices were made in the time of Ezra BEFORE the second temple was ready:

6 From the first day of the seventh month began they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid. (Ezra 3:6)

Thus, Jews know that they can perform animal sacrifices without a rebuilt Temple. And that is what two of the main groups behind doing so have told me.

That said, perhaps it should be mentioned that stones from the second temple were believed to be moved to build what seems to have been the first Christian church building in Jerusalem (see Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill). While this building might relate to one that the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2 may end up in, it would not yet seem to be a place that animal sacrifices would begin in–especially since the Temple Institute and the Sanherdin have another location in mind. That being said, because of traditions that this building is above the tomb of David and the ark of the covenant (many discount that, but others agree, see also Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill), if additional archaeological evidence surfaces to support this (or some other location related to David, the ark of the covenant, or the temple), groups like the Temple Institute may change their location ideas.

Anyway, here is a photo I took in October 2013 of some of the original bricks of the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill:

None of those bricks are expected to be used by the Jews to build a temple before Jesus returns.

Despite the views of many that a massive third temple in Jerusalem has to be built before the start of the Great Tribulation/Apocalypse, the reality is that the Jews do not need a temple to be rebuilt before Jesus returns.

All that being said, the Bible does show that there will be daily sacrifices again in Jerusalem and that they will one day be stopped (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11) and that they can be done without a temple (Ezra 3:6).

Tearing down the Dome of the Rock will not bring real peace (though a temporary peace deal will come per Daniel 9:26-27). While the Jews can build structures in this age, they cannot build God’s Holy Temple.

Yet, since sacrifices will be resumed, the Jews will use an altar and likely put up a tent or an actual structure to do so. No massive third temple is needed for the sacrifices or for prophecies for this age to be fulfilled.

But the stopping of animal sacrifices scripturally must occur.

Partially because of Donald Trump, steps towards the resumption of those sacrifices will take place–with out without a ‘third temple.’

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is ‘the temple of God” in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to two sermons The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work and God’s Temple in Prophecy. And here is a version of the latter one in the Spanish: El templo de Dios en profecía.
Nascent Sanhedrin structure and high priest: The plan is to start animal sacrifices this would fulfill prophecy! The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices.
The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a ‘red heifer.’ Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here are links to three related videos in English: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World and The Red Heifer and the End of the World and Red Heifers and Antichrist? and Temple Institute, Heifers, Hamas, and a Tent. Here is a link to two videos in the Spanish language: Novillas rojas and La novilla roja y su posible implicación profetica.
Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill Could this building, often referred to as the Cenacle, possibly have been the oldest actual Christian church building?
Does the ‘Cenacle’ deal have prophetic ramifications? After a 20 year negotiation, the Church of Rome has negotiated the right to have Catholic mass in the building known as the Cenacle. It is in the area where the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill once stood. This is believed to be the location of the earliest Christian church building. How does the Bible define the ‘temple of God’ in the New Testament? Could this be the area where the ‘man of sin’ will sit in the “temple of God’ that Bible prophecy discusses in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4? This is a YouTube video.
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
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.
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 here are links to videos in Spanish: ¿Quién es el Hombre de Pecado de 2 Tesalonicenses 2? and ¿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’.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North, and Christian Persecution from the Beast; and WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

(Above from Pexels)

COGwriter

The European Union is concerned about tariffs and trade with the USA:

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Thursday pushed back hard against allegations by U.S. President Donald Trump that the 27-nation bloc was out to get the United States, and warned that it would vigorously fight any wholesale tariff of 25% on all EU products.

The tit-for-tat dispute following the vitriolic comments of Trump aimed at an age-old ally and its main postwar economic partner further deepened the trans-Atlantic rift that was already widened by Trump’s warnings that Washington would drop security guarantees for its European allies.

Thursday’s EU pushback came after Trump told reporters that “the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States. That’s the purpose of it, and they’ve done a good job of it,” adding that it would stop immediately under his presidency. …

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez added fiery fuel to the debate.

“We will stand up to those who attack us with unfair tariffs and veiled threats to our sovereignty. We are committed and prepared to do so,” he said in northern Spain.

The EU also warned that the moment that tariffs are announced, it would trigger tough countermeasures on iconic U.S. industries like bourbon, jeans and motorcycles.

“Spain and the EU have been together working for months, and we will adopt measures to respond firmly. We will do so as a bloc,” Sánchez said.

European Commission trade spokesman Olof Gill also said that the EU would stand up to the Trump administration if tariffs are announced. …

The EU says that trade in goods reached 851 billion euros ($878 billion) in 2023, with a trade surplus of 156 billion euros ($161 billion) for the EU. Trade in services was worth 688 billion euros ($710 billion) with a trade deficit of 104 billion euros ($107 billion) for the EU.

The figures are so big that it remained essential to avoid a trade war, the EU has said. https://apnews.com/article/eu-us-trump-trade-war-tariffs-e799b44cbaf81b19c37a57d7fd55ee6d

The President of the EU is in India to try to improve commercial ties, trade, with the world’s most populous nation:

📍Touchdown in Delhi with my team of Commissioners.

In an era of conflicts and intense competition, you need trusted friends.

For Europe, India is such a friend and a strategic ally.

I’ll discuss with @narendramodi how to take our strategic partnership to the next level. pic.twitter.com/I8ypHtwfy8

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 27, 2025

Von der Leyen arrives in India to ‘strengthen partnership’

27 February 2025

The EU is seeking to diversify its partnerships in the face of possible tariffs from Washington. Talks on a free trade agreement with New Delhi are scheduled for March.  …

The EU and India are seeking to expedite a long-delayed free trade agreement, as well as achieve strategic alignment in the face of tariffs announced by Washington. …

India, EU aim to boost trade

India and the EU have long sought to strike a free trade deal,…

According to the European Commission, the EU is India’s largest trading partner, ahead of the US and China. https://www.dw.com/en/von-der-leyen-arrives-in-india-to-strengthen-partnership/a-71768504

The ‘Trump effect’ is pushing the EU to push harder for trade arrangements it has been considering.

Increasing Europe’s trade dominance will be one of major unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s trade policies and statements. Notice something from my latest book available at Amazon Kindle: Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? as well as Amazon print Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?:

Trade

Historically, Donald Trump has called for “fair trade” and indicated that various nations, including several in Asia, are not engaged in fair trade, so he has proposed high tariffs.[i]

Donald Trump has called tariffs, “the most beautiful word in the dictionary” and even proposed massive tariffs (up to 2000%) on Mexico if it will not do what he wants.[ii] He has basically also proposed a minimum of 10% tariffs on goods from much of the rest of the world.

Some believe that Donald Trump’s positions on trade will lead to a global trade war.[iii] Europe has said it will hit back against Donald Trump’s tariff policies.[iv] It is my position that trade disputes will be a factor in Europe taking military action against the USA one day.

One of the unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs and other trade matters is that it is motivating nations he has threatened to look to trade more with each other.

The morning after his reelection, I wrote:

According to the major media, Donald Trump won re-election. … Europe will get more serious about trade deals with others internationally, such as being more motivated to approve the trade deal with the Mercosur block of South America.[v]

On December 6, 2024, Politico reported that the European Union approved the massive Mercosur trade deal, despite opposition from France and others, and also pointed to Donald Trump’s reelection as a factor.[vi]

Energy and climate policy differences between the Europeans and Donald Trump look to increase the negative view many in Europe already have about the USA. …

• Pushing tariffs and other policies that foreign nations do not like is contributing to other nations looking to bypass the USA dollar, as well as trade more with each other and less with the USA. This will further push various globalist’s moves forward without the USA. This is also helping set the stage for the coming European Babylonian Beast to dominate international trade.

[i] ^{Trade: Donald J. Trump’s Vision. https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/trade accessed December 16, 2016}

[ii] ^{Pan J. Donald Trump calls tariff ‘the most beautiful word,’ threatens up to 2,000% tariff to block Mexican car imports. Yahoo News, November 3, 2024}

[iii] ^{Islam F. Will Trump’s victory spark a global trade war? BBC, November 7, 2024}

[iv] ^{Vella JH. EU’s game plan for Trump trade war: ‘Hit back fast and hard.’ Polico.eu, October 21, 2024}

[v] ^{Thiel B. Media declares Donald Trump won the election–now what? y Donald trump y eventos para observar. COGwriter, November 6, 2024}

[vi] ^{Gijs C, Leali G. EU snubs France to seal huge Latin American trade deal. Politico, December 6, 2024}

(Thiel B. Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Nazarene Books, 2025)

More of the world’s nations are starting to look away from the USA for trade. While the EU currently DOES NOT hold truly strong cards when negotiating with the USA, it does when dealing with other nations–and it will do so.

Notice part of number 8 of my list of 25 items to prophetically watch in 2025:

Europe will reach out to various ones in Asia and Africa, as well as Latin America. In the next several years, deals and more trade will occur with Africa, Asia, and Latin America. … in 2025 Europe will work on getting more of the world to accept its standards and trading matters. This will help Europe ultimately dominate trade.

The reelection of Donald Trump will motivate many to trade with each other because of his threats of tariffs, etc.

Notice part of number 22 of my list of 25 items to prophetically watch in 2025:

Donald Trump will be apocalyptic. At least 20 warnings/predictions I made before his last Administration assumed office came to pass (for details see Donald Trump in Prophecy).

Look for Donald Trump and His Administration to offend the Europeans, cause international trade concerns, push many nations further away from the United States,

This is happening NOW.

We have already seeing unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s trade statements and policies as the EU, Canada, India, and Latin America are looking more towards trade deals with each other and NOT the USA.

The Bible shows that Europe will, temporarily, dominate trade, which means that the USA will not:

3 … 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. (Revelation 18:3)

9 The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her … 19 in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! (Revelation 18:9,19)

Europe does not have to be perfect to do this, but perceived for a time, as the best economic option for the world.

There will be many unintended consequences of Donald Trump’s presidency.

(From a Tweet)

COGwriter

Practicing Muslims will start to observe Ramadan the evening of February 28 2025 until March 29, 2025.

The Associated Press reported the following (bolding below from COGwriter):

March 10, 2024

CAIRO (AP) — Observant Muslims the world over will soon be united in a ritual of daily fasting from dawn to sunset as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan starts. For Muslims, it’s a time of increased worship, charity and good deeds. Socially, it often brings families and friends together in festive gatherings around meals to break their fast. Ramadan is followed by the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

This year, Ramadan comes as the latest Israel-Hamas war has killed thousands of Palestinians, left much of Gaza in ruins and created a humanitarian catastrophe, with many Palestinians there, especially in the devastated northern region, scrambling for food to survive.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar; the month cycles through the seasons.

The start of the month traditionally depends on the sighting of the crescent moon; this year, the first day is expected to be on or around March 11.

Muslim communities may start Ramadan on different days, due to declarations by multiple Islamic authorities around the globe on whether the crescent has been sighted or different methodologies used to determine the start of the month. …

Muslims see various meanings and lessons in observing the fast.

It’s regarded as an act of worship to attain God-conscious piety and one of submission to God. The devout see benefits including practicing self-restraint, cultivating gratitude, growing closer to God, and feeling for the poor and hungry.

The daily fast in Ramadan includes abstaining from all food and drink; not even a sip of water is allowed from dawn to sunset before breaking the fast in a meal known as “iftar” in Arabic. Those fasting are expected to also refrain from bad deeds, such as gossiping, and increase good deeds. …

Many social rituals center on gathering and socializing after the daily fast. Some Muslims decorate their homes, put out Ramadan-themed tableware and centerpieces or throng to markets and Ramadan bazaars.

In Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, Ramadan is typically a festive time.

Colorful lanterns, in different shapes and sizes, dangle from children’s hands and adorn homes or the entrances of buildings and stores. Ramadan songs may be played to welcome the month. So-called Ramadan tents, featuring food and entertainment, pop up to cater to gatherings. https://apnews.com/article/ramadan-islam-fasting-islamic-holy-month-d8c9e002e4904c5d8e0ccee2b77f9ad4

Let’s look at two items I bolded above. Here is the first:

The devout see benefits including practicing self-restraint, cultivating gratitude, growing closer to God, and feeling for the poor and hungry.

The Bible connects fasting with the poor, but is more specific about what to do about it:

6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry …? (Isaiah 58:6-7)

15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:15-17)

So, according to the word of God part of why people should fast is to be able to aid the hungry, not just feel for them. But let me add that as part of the “good deeds,” some Muslims do give to the poor during Ramadan.

Here is the second:

Those fasting are expected to also refrain from bad deeds,

One would hope that all would strive to refrain from “bad deeds” at all times, not just during times of fasting.

As far as Ramadan itself goes, here is additional information about it from the Encyclopedia Britannica:

Ramadan, Arabic Ramaḍān, in Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. Because the Muslim calendar year is shorter than the Gregorian calendar year, Ramadan begins 10–12 days earlier each year, allowing it to fall in every season throughout a 33-year cycle. …

Islamic tradition states that it was during Ramadan, on the “Night of Power” (Laylat al-Qadr)—commemorated on one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, usually the 27th night—that God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad the Qurʾān, Islam’s holy book, “as a guidance for the people.” For Muslims, Ramadan is a period of introspection, communal prayer (ṣalāt) in the mosque, and reading of the Qurʾān. God forgives the past sins of those who observe the holy month with fasting, prayer, and faithful intention. accessed 04/02/22 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ramadan

During Ramadan, practicing Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and feast after dark.

Those of us in the Continuing Church of God do NOT accept that God inspired the Quran, so we do not participate in Ramadan. We also do not accept that the Book of Mormon, Malachi’s Message, etc. are inspired by God.

But, of course, we do consider that the Bible is the inspired word of God (see also the free online book: Who Gave the World the Bible? The Canon: Why do we have the books we now do in the Bible? Is the Bible complete?) and that Jesus is the Messiah.

The following is in our free online book Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century:

While the CCOG does not observe Ramadan, we along with the Bible (Isaiah 58:6-7), agree with Muslims that one of the outcomes of fasting should be sharing food with the hungry.

Although Muslims also believe Jesus is the Messiah, they do not accept a lot of what is true about Him; this is documented in the free online book Proof Jesus is the Messiah as well as Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century.

More on Islam can also be found in the free online book: Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century .

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century This is a free online book which helps show where biblical and Islamic prophecies converge and diverge. Here are links to related sermons: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes, Imam Mahdi, women, and prophecy, and Terrorism, Iran, and Fatima, Dajjal, Antichrist, Gold, & Mark of the Beast?, and Jesus and God’s Plan for Muslims. Here is a link to a sermon in the Spanish language: El Imám Mahdi las mujeres y la profecía bíblica
Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes This article has information from the book, Islamic and Biblical Prophecies for the 21st Century, as well as from the old WCG and other sources. Here is a link to a related sermon: Seeing Christianity Through Islamic Eyes. Here is a related sermon in the Spanish language: El cristianismo visto a través de los ojos islámicos.
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising. Here is a version the Spanish language: ¿Esta Surgiendo el Rey Del Sur?
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Rise of the King of the South The Bible tells of the formation of a power of nations that are in the Middle East and North Africa that are part of the final “King of the South” (Daniel 11:40-43) The Muslim Brotherhood wishes to have an Islamic empire with basically the same nations. This YouTube video explains what to expect from such a confederation.
Why Terrorism? Is Terrorism Prophesied? What does the Bible teach? Which nations may be affected? Here is a link to a related sermon: Terrorism, Christianity, and Islam. Here is a shorter video: Afghanis: Potential terrorists?
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
The Prophesied ‘Islamic’ Confederation Where is an Islamic caliphate prophesied? Will one happen? Should you be concerned about it? A related video is Will an Arabic Calphiphate Destroy the West?
Libya, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia in Prophecy What is ahead for North Africa? What does the Bible teach?
Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to a related video: Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
Damascus and Syria in Prophecy Will Bashar Assad hold power as he has it? Does the Bible show that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will be destroyed? What will happen to Syria? Will the Syrians support the final King of the South that the Bible tells will rise up? Which scriptures discuss the rise and fall of an Arabic confederation? Does Islamic prophecy predict the destruction of Syria. This is a YouTube video.
Egypt in Prophecy Does Egypt have a special role in end time prophecy? Will Egypt rise up and then be defeated. What does God teach will happen to those in Egypt? Here is a link to a YouTube video titled Egypt and End Time Prophecy.
Iraq, the King of the South, Armageddon, and Prophecy What will happen to Iraq? Is it the prophesied Mystery Babylon? What is Armageddon and how does that have to do with Iraq? Here is a related video Iraq, Armageddon, & Prophecy.
Iran in Prophecy Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? There is also a related YouTube video titled Iran In Prophecy.
Jordan in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible show will happen to the inhabitants of Jordan? Will they escape and then be punished? A related video is titled Jordan, Petra, and Armageddon.
Turkey in Prophecy Do you know the Turkish people descended from? Did the Ottoman Empire possibly fulfill a promise in Genesis? Will Turkey support the European King of the North or Arabic King of the South? Will it betray one of them? Will Turkey be involved in the encouraging the destruction of Israel? Is Turkey going to become Roman Catholic? Is Turkey mentioned in Psalm 83, Daniel 11, and elsewhere in the Bible? A related video is also available: What Should You Know About Turkey in Prophecy.
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.
Arabic Nazarenes May Have Kept Original Christian Practices Were their faithful Arabs who held to original Christianity?
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Should Christians be Nazarenes today? What were the practices of the Nazarenes.
Who Gave the World the Bible? The Canon: Why do we have the books we now do in the Bible? Is the Bible complete? Are there lost gospels? What about the Apocrypha? Is the Septuagint better than the Masoretic text? What about the Textus Receptus vs. Nestle Alland? Was the New Testament written in Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew? Which translations are based upon the best ancient text? Did the true Church of God have the canon from the beginning? Here are links to related sermons: Let’s Talk About the Bible, The Books of the Old Testament, The Septuagint and its Apocrypha, Masoretic Text of the Old Testament, and Lost Books of the Bible, and Let’s Talk About the New Testament, The New Testament Canon From the Beginning, English Versions of the Bible and How Did We Get Them?, What was the Original Language of the New Testament?, Original Order of the Books of the Bible, and Who Gave the World the Bible? Who Had the Chain of Custody? Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection. A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus. Plus the links to two sermonettes: Luke’s census: Any historical evidence? and Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah, but … These videos cover nearly all of the book, plus have some information not in the book. We also have the book translated in the Spanish PRUEBA de que JESÚS es el MESÍAS and French PREUVES QUE JÉSUS EST LE MESSIE languages.
Differences Between Islam and the Continuing Church of God What are some of the main differences? Are there any similarities? A video of related interest is titled: Islam: Any Christian Concerns or Similarities?

PCG booklet

COGwriter

PCG posted the following related to Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, and Ezekiel 38:

February 26, 2025Exactly three years ago this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his “special military operation” against Ukraine. …

Donald … Trump believes the Russians want to see the war end and hopes to negotiate a peace deal with Putin. Trump even campaigned with the promise that he would end the war in 24 hours. But does he really know the man he is dealing with? Could such a deal really end the war?

Putin’s Persistence

In the first year of the war, Russia made some notable gains in territory but was met with unexpectedly impressive counteroffensives from Ukraine. Russia suffered devastating losses in ammunition and manpower against a Ukraine empowered by Western support. Yet Putin persisted. …

Today, Russia controls about 20 percent of Ukraine and is inching westward toward the city of Povrovsk. …

If Putin wanted a ceasefire, he would have already negotiated one. If he wanted to give up the war effort, he had plenty of reasons to do so a long time ago.

Yet for three years, the Trumpet has rightly warned that Putin remains fiercely determined to conquer Ukraine. Even if Putin loses the war in the short term, the sure word of Bible prophecy reveals he will survive and fight much larger wars in the future.

In the unlikely case that Trump manages to negotiate a peace deal, Russia will almost surely have the upper hand. Trump even admitted that Russia “holds the cards” in the peace talks. And the way Trump approached Israel’s shameful hostage deal with Hamas shows he is willing to give up considerable ground to accommodate evil, just to uphold his reputation as a “peacemaker.”

If the ceasefire does happen, everything points to a favorable deal for Russia and a very unfavorable one for Europe. The fact that Europe and Ukraine were left out of the peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia last week says a lot.

Europe vs. Trump

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has generated tremendous fear in Europe. European leaders agree it is time to militarize and get ready to defend against a potential attack from Russia. …

The Trumpet has also long maintained that a financial crisis will trigger Europe to pare down to these 10 unified nations. …

Putin’s ambitions are clear and will not change. Mr. Flurry has long warned of Putin’s goals and his true character in his booklet The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia.’ He writes:

… Putin has a long pattern of diabolical evil on the level of Joseph Stalin. An abundance of fruits prove that. …

Putin has long known that if Ukraine allied with Europe, it would significantly diminish his power. His goal is to resurrect the Soviet empire. The architecture of that empire was built around Ukraine being a part of it. [T]hat nation is the linchpin of his goal of a renewed imperial Russia!

Mr. Flurry goes on to identify the “prince of Rosh” or “prince of Russia” in Ezekiel 38:2 as Vladimir Putin. He writes, “Vladimir Putin is one we need to keep a particularly close eye on. His track record, his nationality and his ideology show that he is fulfilling a linchpin Bible prophecy. The time frame of his rule also shows that nobody else could be fulfilling the Ezekiel 38 and 39 prophecy.” …

Ezekiel 38:2-5 give names that apply to modern China and India. Verse 6 mentions Gomer, the primary ancestor of several Asian peoples, including the Koreans. These nations will ally with Russia under the leadership of Putin. https://www.thetrumpet.com/31043-after-three-years-is-russias-war-on-ukraine-finally-coming-to-an-end

PCG is right that Vladimir Putin wants all of Ukraine to be part of Russia.

PCG is right that Europe will face a financial crisis.

However, that WILL NOT “trigger Europe to pare down to these 10 unified nations.” This is a blatant misunderstanding of the following prophecy in the Book of Revelation:

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.  (Revelation 17:12-13, NKJV throughout unless otherwise specified)

These ten kings have no kingdom, but are to attain one–they are NOT 10 existing nations. This is a type of reorganization in verse 12–and basically a type of major or great reset (see also Is a Great Reset Coming?). Since they give their power to the Beast in verse 13, this is a second reorganization. The old WCG also recognized that Revelation 17:12-13 was NOT limited to 10 currently existing nations–see Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? PCG is wrong on this point.

As far as false prophecies about the USA goes, PCG’s Gerald Flurry made one related to the 2020 presidential election where he repeatedly asserted that Donald Trump would remain in office and that Joe Biden would not take office (e.g. PCG says expect a miracle: Joe Biden will not be president of the USA).

As far as false prophecies about Vladimir Putin, Gerald Flurry has often “doubled-down” to continue to promote prophetic error concerning his views of Vladimir Putin. Here is something from that post:

Vladimir Putin’s dramatic invasion of Ukraine is not surprising. How and when will it end?

February 24, 2022

Russian missiles are striking targets across most of Ukraine. Artillery shells are raining down on towns, cities and key infrastructure. Buildings are on fire and there are already multiple civilian causalities. Russian paratroopers have captured an airfield near Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city. Meanwhile, Russian tanks and soldiers continue to roll into Ukraine.

World leaders are aghast. “Peace in our continent has been shattered,” said North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “We now have war in Europe, on a scale and of a type we thought belonged to history.” The Drudge headline this morning encapsulates what many are thinking: “Countdown to WW III.” …

God … has much to say about Russia and Vladimir Putin!

Ezekiel 38 is an especially important passage about Russia. Verse 8 uses the phrase “the latter years.” This is referring to the time just before the return of Jesus Christ. This whole chapter contains staggering understanding about the powerful Russian empire and its widely feared “prince.”

“And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him” (verses 1-2). The “son of man,” God’s human messenger, is responsible for identifying this “chief prince.”

I strongly believe this “chief prince” is Vladimir Putin, and I have explained why many times over the past 20 years. The alarming and sobering scenes coming out of Ukraine today dramatically prove that this understanding is right. Bible prophecy is being fulfilled this very moment in Ukraine!

The correct translation of Ezekiel 38:2 is “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.” In Assyrian and Greek histories, Meshech appears as Musku, Muski or Mushki—all names related to the Russian spelling of Moscow. What about Tubal? On the eastern side of the Ural Mountains lies the city of Tobolsk, named after the Tobol River, a name derived from Tubal. Tobolsk was once the seat of Russian government over Siberia and was basically considered Russia’s Asian capital.

Rosh was the ancient name of Russia, once called Rus. Many encyclopedias and commentaries (such as the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary) recognize this. So who is this “prince” of Russia, Moscow and Tobolsk?

This is what I wrote four years ago in my booklet The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia’: “The use of all three names shows that this is an individual ruler of all the peoples of Russia, from the west to the east. The reference to the cities of Moscow and Tobolsk helps us see how vast Russian territory is in these latter days. This giant swath of land indicates the prince will probably conquer more nations of the former Soviet Union. When you study these scriptures alongside current events revealing modern Moscow’s imperialist direction, you see that Russian President Vladimir Putin could well be the prince of Rosh.”…

Mr. Flurry writes:

[T]he Bible also prophesies that at the end of all of these wars, the world is going to see the greatest event ever in the universe: the Second Coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ! …

Vladimir Putin is a sign, literally a SIGN that Jesus Christ is about to return! This is one of the most inspiring messages in the Bible. What we are seeing in Russia ultimately leads to the transition from man ruling man to God ruling man! And it’s almost here!

Jesus Christ is the only power who will finally shut down the prince of Russia.

https://www.thetrumpet.com/25279-bible-prophecy-comes-alive-in-ukraine

While Jesus will return to establish the millennial kingdom of God, no,  Vladimir Putin is not the prophesied Prince of Russia/Rosh of Ezekiel 38.

Vladimir Putin’s possible prophetic role has long been misinterpreted by Gerald Flurry. Notice something his PCG group posted before:

February 18, 2020

Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has identified Vladimir Putin as the man who will lead an end-time Asian military force that Bible prophecy calls “the kings of the east” (Revelation 16:12) and says will have a force of 200 million soldiers (Revelation 9:16). …

In his booklet The Prophesied ‘Prince of Russia,’ Mr. Flurry shows that Ezekiel 38:2 describes the leadership of this Asian bloc: It will be led by “the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal” (New King James Version). Meshech and Tubal, he explained, are early names corresponding to modern Russian cities, and Rosh is a variation of an ancient name for Russia. …

“We need to watch Vladimir Putin closely,” Mr. Flurry writes. “I believe he is almost certain to be the ‘prince of Rosh’ whom God inspired Ezekiel to write about 2,500 years ago!” https://www.thetrumpet.com/21946-will-chinas-coronavirus-make-vladimir-putin-king-of-the-east/print

While Ezekiel 38 is an endtime prophecy, it is not to be fulfilled until well AFTER Jesus returns.

To suggest that Vladimir Putin has actually fulfilled parts of the Prince of Rosh prophecy in Ezekiel 38 is wrong. While Gerald Flurry asserts that Vladimir Putin is the prophesied ‘Prince of Rosh,’ I am totally and absolutely certain that he is NOT!

Notice also that in the September 2014 Trumpet, Gerald Flurry wrote:

I strongly believe Vladimir Putin is going to lead the 200 million-man army. Just look at the power he already has. Can you think of any other Russian politician who could become so powerful and have the will to lead Russia into the crisis of crises? I see nobody else on the horizon who could do that. And only a tiny few years remain for the prince of Rosh to appear! … This much is absolutely certain: The restoring of Russia’s power by Vladimir Putin—the prince of Russia—was prophesied! He has already solidly allied Russia with China. The prophecy about the prince of Russia includes that main alliance.

There is more.

PCG‘s Gerald Flurry claimed in 2014 to have a message from God for Vladimir Putin. Here is some of what he wrote in an article titled “A Message to the Prince of Russia—From God“:

A MESSAGE TO THE PRINCE OF RUSSIA— FROM GOD

Russia’s President Putin is making some bold, dangerous moves. Does God have a specific message for him?…

Ezekiel 38:2 describes a vivid personality to appear on the scene in this end time: “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal” (New King James Version). In modern terms, this is the prince of Russia (article, page 10; see also my February cover story, “Is Vladimir Putin the Prophesied ‘Prince of Rosh’?” theTrumpet.com/go/11228). There is also another personality in these verses that we have not talked about as much. Yet this man has a stronger message with more power behind it than Vladimir Putin can even imagine! Notice who that same passage in Ezekiel 38 addresses: “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man ….” This shows that God uses a man.

There is a latter-day fulfillment as well. This person, a type of Ezekiel, is receiving a message, and God commissions him to prophesy against the prince of Russia in this end time. God doesn’t come down and deliver this message Himself. He has a man do it. …

The Prince of Rosh

It is easy to prove that Ezekiel is an endtime book. Ezekiel 38 is clearly an end-time prophecy. Verse 8 specifically mentions its setting in the “latter years”; verse 16 talks about the “latter days”— such statements are made throughout Ezekiel’s book.

Can you think of a politician who could fulfill the role of the prince of Russia? One, and only one, comes to mind: Vladimir Putin.

God’s Power

The book of Joel describes an army called God’s army (Joel 2:11, 25). The context shows that this is the same army headed by the “prince of Rosh.” That means that even though God commands His servant to prophesy against him, God is actually using this “prince of Rosh” for His own purpose.

The Ezekiel 38 commission continues: “And say, Thus saith the Lord God [not man], Behold, I am against thee, O Gog [Russia], the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws” (verses 3-4). These verses reveal something extraordinary. This prince of Russia is clearly a man with a lot of power…

Vladimir Putin is a sign, literally a SIGN that Jesus Christ is about to return! This is one of the most inspiring messages in the Bible…

Once Christ returns, He will destroy the military power of Russia and China and other nations once and for all. He will show the world what power really is! “And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers” (verse 9). This is what will happen to all those military armaments at the start of the Millennium (described in Revelation 20:4, 6). (Flurry G. A Message to the Prince of Russia—From God. Philadelphia Trumpet, May 2014)

The return of Jesus is inspiring, and because of his role in the world, Vladimir Putin has and probably will take more steps that will align with biblical prophecy, but no, the idea that Vladimir Putin is the “prince of Rosh” of Ezekiel 38 is absolutely not true.

While the “latter days” is a prophetic term, Ezekiel 38 is talking about a time well after Jesus has returned. But Gerald Flurry is teaching that many verses in Ezekiel 38 happen before Jesus returns–this is in error.

Here are some positions from the old Radio Church of God (bold italics mine):

Perhaps no prophecy has received more widespread interest and attention than that of Ezekiel 38 and 39. As usual there are various interpretations. Those most popularly believed and expressed are: I) That the prophecy pictures “Armageddon”-with Russia the aggressor in this final “Armageddon” battle…The word “Armageddon,” believe it or not occurs only once in all he Bible. It is in Rev. 16:13-16: “ARMAGGEDON is the place of the “BATTLE” of that Great Day of God Almighty, which is “the Day of the Lord.” This is the coming time of God’s WRATH, climaxing in the seven last plagues and the Second Coming of Christ. The Battle at Armageddon is pictured in Rev. 20:19-20 and Rev.17:14. It is a battle in which European AXIS powers, symbolically represented as “The BEAST” and ten federated European dictatorships wive the Roman Empire, which fight against Christ and His Angels, contesting HIS right to rule the world. But Ezekiel 38 speaks of a different power altogether-“GOG’ in the land of ‘MAGOG’, numerous Allies – all descendants of JAPETH, father of the yellow races…

And now we come to chapter 38!…The TIME of this prophecy is AFTER–not before, but AFTER–the second coming of Christ…The 39th chapter shows in more detail the RESULT of this great battle, in which Christ, with supernatural power, causes five-sixth of these heathen armies to be slain in this battle. (What’s Prophesied About RUSSIA! The Plain Truth. November-December 1943, pp. 5, 7, 12)

(Ez. 38: 12). It is now, after the second coming of Christ, with Israel obeying God in the land of Palestine, that Russia and her oriental hordes come to take a prey from defenseless cities. (Does Ezekiel 38 and 39 Mean An Invasion of Canada and the United States by Russia? Good News, June 1951, p. 11)

Does Ezekiel 38 and 39 Refer to Russia?

Nearly all Bible students believe that Ezekiel’s amazing prophecy refers to Russia. Yet they totally misapply the time of its fulfillment. It is referring to an invasion of Palestine after Christ has restored His people Israel to Palestine. This has been amply proved in articles in The PLAIN TRUTH…Notice that it is Gog and Magog (Ezek. 38:2) which will come against the nation in which Christ’s capital will be located (verse 16). Notice again that Gog and Magog come “out of the north parts” (verse 15 ) where Russia is today. (Does Ezekiel 38 and 39 Refer to Russia? Good News, August 1954, p. 5)

Despite claims from Gerald Flurry, it is not the case that Ezekiel 38:1-7 is fulfilled prior to the return of Jesus. Certainly, there will be a 200 million man army, but that is not what Ezekiel 38:1-7 is talking about.

The fact that although PCG says it holds to what the old Radio/Worldwide Church of God taught, it clearly disagrees on the timing of Ezekiel 38.

Now, let’s notice what Ezekiel 38 actually says:

1 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops — many people are with you.

7 “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

10 ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: 11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’ — 12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”‘ (Ezekiel 38:1-13)

Verses 1-7 talk about a group getting ready to battle. Vladmir Putin has not fulfilled this.

Pay close attention to verses 7-13. It is against a ‘peaceful people’ in unarmed villages that the prince of Rosh is going against. This cannot happen until AFTER the return of Jesus. Hence this is not possibly a prophecy about Vladimir Putin.

Gerald Flurry also wrote the following:

A prophecy in Ezekiel 38 gives us some of these important details. “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him” (Ezekiel 38:1-2). These verses begin in the latter days (verses 8, 16) before the Great Tribulation, the Day of the Lord and Christ’s Second Coming. (Flurry G. Vladimir Putin Is the Prophesied Prince of Russia. Philadelphia Trumpet, September 2014)

Ezekiel 38:16 is not possibly for any period prior to the start of the Great Tribulation. Notice what God inspired Ezekiel to write:

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? 15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. 16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 38:14-16)

So, a power from the far north, which would seem to have to be Russian-led as it is the only major military power in the far north now, and may be the only one also in the future, will come. Yet, notice that this happens when Israel is “dwelling safely.” While Ezekiel 38 does mention Russia and Iran, the tiny nation of Israel is NOT now a “land of unwalled villages” with “a peaceful people who dwell safely” as other verses in Ezekiel 38 point out (see Ezekiel 38:10-11).

Can anyone seriously believe that Israel is a nation of peaceful people dwelling safely? It has walls and many enemies.

Despite what Gerald Flurry and certain others believe, we are not particularly close to the fulfillment of Ezekiel 38. Those who believe otherwise are in error.

To compound PCG error, Gerald Flurry also wrote:

A prophecy in Ezekiel 38 gives us some of these important details. “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him” (Ezekiel 38:1-2). These verses begin in the latter days (verses 8, 16) before the Great Tribulation, the Day of the Lord and Christ’s Second Coming…One other Russian people is mentioned in Ezekiel 38:2. There is controversy over how the Hebrew word rosh should be translated in this verse. The King James Version uses the adjective “chief.” But the correct rendering (used by the Moffatt, New King James and others) uses the word not as an adjective, but as a proper noun: Rosh. Thus, that verse should read, “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.”…

The restoring of Russia’s power by Vladimir Putin—the prince of Russia—was prophesied! He has already solidly allied Russia with China. The prophecy about the prince of Russia includes that main alliance.

Other nations are leaning toward an alliance with Russia. Several of them are prophesied to join.

The only question is whether or not Putin personally finishes the entire prophecy.

The ending of that mighty “kings of the east” powerhouse is also prophesied. (Flurry G. Vladimir Putin Is the Prophesied Prince of Russia. Philadelphia Trumpet, September 2014)

I bolded the sentences above as they clearly contradict what PCG used to teach back in 2011:

One reason Rosh is typically not translated as a proper noun is that scholars believe Rosh, unlike the other names listed in Ezekiel 38, was not a known land or a name of a person…

Why Our Forecasts Are Accurate

The change in the translation in Ezekiel 38:2 was done in disbelief that a prophecy in Ezekiel’s time could so obviously and clearly name a nation, its people, rivers and major cities, a thousand years before it was formed! But the meaning of this prophecy and the identity of the people contained in it is not hidden to those who will believe what the Bible says.

Mr. Armstrong simply believed what was revealed in the Bible, and that is why he could so boldly predict that Russia would not attack America!

The Trumpet follows in the tradition of Mr. Armstrong. By believing what the Bible has to say, this magazine makes strong forecasts concerning the major world powers that have proven accurate and will continue to be proven true.

What does Ezekiel 38 say will happen to the Russian people? “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him” (verse 2). This prophecy for the Russians and Chinese will occur after the great and terrible events that lead to Jesus Christ’s return—events recorded in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 9:1-12 describe a European beast power, after occupying Jerusalem and enslaving the end-time nations of Israel, preemptively attacking Russia and China out of fear. Then Russia, China and other Eastern powers, collectively called “the kings of the east,” amass a 200 million-man army and counterstrike the European army. This clash kills one third of mankind! (verses 13-21).

Then what is left of these armies will gather in Armageddon to challenge and attack Christ in Jerusalem upon His return! Christ will utterly destroy these armies and begin His reign by gathering the scattered descendants of Israel around Jerusalem.

This is when the prophecy of Ezekiel finally occurs: after Christ’s return, when the descendants of Israel have been resettled. The remnants of the Russians and Chinese, evidently still too proud to be ruled by Christ, attempt to spoil the obedient and prosperous Israelites. Ezekiel 38:14-16 describe this attempt to overthrow Christ’s rule. In this attack, they are defeated in one final statement to mankind that He is the Eternal! (You can read a more detailed explanation of this prophecy and the future of Russia and its allied nations in our free booklet Russia and China in Prophecy.)

What is in store for Russia in the meantime? Nearly 60 years later, will Mr. Armstrong’s prediction continue to be proven true?

Today, the world is in an even worse condition than when Mr. Armstrong printed that headline. The threat of nuclear war is even higher than in the peak of the Cold War. Several rogue states have acquired or are acquiring the means to wipe whole nations off the map. America’s global dominance is again being challenged, not just by one nation but by many different major powers. Major powers all over the world such as China, the European Union and Iran are increasing their military capabilities, while a debt-burdened U.S. is shrinking its own.

Now, more than ever, it is vital to know what will happen in world affairs in the near future. Who will strike whom? You will know only if you believe your Bible! (Vejil D. The Origins of Modern Russia (Part 5). Philadelphia Trumpet, July 2011)

I bolded the paragraph above as it clearly contradicts what Gerald Flurry (self-appointed and false prophet of PCG) now teaches. PCG used to teach that Ezekiel 38 was fulfilled AFTER Jesus’ return, yet now it teaches that it is fulfilled BEFORE Jesus returns.

If PCGs forecasts are so accurate (e.g. PCG says expect a miracle: Joe Biden will not be president of the USA), why did Joe Biden take office on January 20, 2021?

Furthermore, notice PCG had the audacity to state that this explanation of Ezekiel 38, which they have since contradicted, was an example of why their forecasts were supposedly right. PCG’s forecasts are not always accurate. They are often wrong, and those who rely on them above the Bible will not possibly know when the Great Tribulation will begin.

Sadly, in that respect, PCG is not the only claimed COG that will not know–a list of dozens of errors in prophetic understanding that various ones who claim to be COG is in the article: Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors?

Let me emphasize that Gerald Flurry did NOT base his position that Vladimir Putin would be the prince of Rosh of Ezekiel 38 from the Bible. He claimed to get some type of message from a supernatural source (see Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God). And that source was NOT God’s Holy Spirit.

Because Armageddon may very well come by 2032, it is possible that Vladimir Putin would lead the 200 million man army.

But as far as being the ‘Prince of Rosh,’ that prophecy cannot possibly be fulfilled by Vladimir Putin.

I consider that Gerald Flurry is a false apostle and a false prophet. The Apostles Paul and Peter warned:

12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:12-15)

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. (2 Peter 2:1-3)

Because of relying on Gerald Flurry’s improper prophecies and error-prone prophetic interpretations, those in PCG will not understand world events at the end.

Hopefully, those in PCG will not consider that the referendum in Russia proves that Gerald Flurry’s “prince of Rosh” role for Vladimir Putin is right.

It is not.

Gerald Flurry has clearly been wrong on many of his prophetic interpretations.

While Christians should heed true prophets, understand they were expected in the last days (see Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?), and not despise prophecies (1 Thessalonians 5:20), the fact that Donald Trump is the FORMER PRESIDENT shows that he did not remain as president and PCG’s Gerald Flurry again was been proven to have spoken presumptuously.

Those who have enough of “the love of the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:10) should clearly be able to see that Gerald Flurry is NOT God’s prophet, but a false one.

Hopefully, you, whether or not in PCG, will not be among those that hold to various Laodicean Prophetic Errors.

Vladimir Putin is NOT fulfilling Ezekiel 38 nor can he possibly be one to do so in the future.

The Apostle Peter declared:

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.  (2 Peter 2:1-3)

Gerald Flurry is one who is fulfilling the above.

Sadly, most who realize that in the COG world fall into another ditch.

They think it is “safer” not to accept that God could have any proper prophets now. That is a wrong-headed and lukewarm approach. Jesus warned against that in Revelation 3:14-19.

They are like the “rebellious children” who do not want to hear “right things” from a prophet, but “smooth things” (Isaiah 30:9-10) as they do not want to have to “rock the boat” or otherwise change as they should. Many who think they believe scripture tend to rely more on “feelings” than scripture when it comes to prophets.

Furthermore, not accepting any prophets goes against something else that the Apostle Peter declared:

17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.  (Acts 2:17-18)

The Apostle Paul warned:

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. (Thessalonians 5:19-22)

Most Christians are not properly testing all things and holding fast what is good. Instead, they seem to discount parts of the Bible, while telling themselves that they really believe all of it. That is evil. “Every form of evil” includes laxness and disregard of God’s word on matters including God’s use of dreams and prophets. More on how God’s Spirit has been working in this century can be found in the article: Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18?

Many in various COGs appear indignant/dismissive of the very idea that God would use dreams or prophets. Many do not understand what the Bible or what certain leaders have taught about prophets (for some details, see Church of God Leaders on Prophets). Part of the reason for this is pride, but also that the self-proclaimed ‘prophets’ outside of the Continuing Church of God have tended to have proven to be false (see also Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders?).

When the Bible says to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1) related to prophets, the proper implication is that there can be prophets from God to be listened to. Not that all are safer to ignore.

Anyway, related to Ezekiel 38 and Vladimir Putin, we put together the following BibleNewsProphecy video:

16:45

Gog, Magog, Vladimir Putin, and Ezekiel 38?

On February 24, 2022, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced a ‘special military operation’ into Ukraine. Are Jewish sources correct that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the start of the Gog and Magog war of Ezekiel 38? Are Protestant sources, and people like Trumpet editor Gerald Flurry right that Vladimir Putin is the ‘prince of Rosh/Rush? Does Ezekiel 38 include Russia? What are some of the other nations involved in Ezekiel 38? Does this battle happen BEFORE or well AFTER Jesus returns? Can you know the answer from the actual passages in Ezekiel 38? Dr. Thiel answers these questions and more.

Here is a link to our video: Gog, Magog, Vladimir Putin, and Ezekiel 38?

God is working in the 21st century, but was not working through the Baba Vanga in the past or Gerald Flurry in the present.

Some items of possibly related interest may include the following:

21st Century Church of God Prophets Are there any true prophets in the 21st century? What about false prophets? What are scriptures and fruits to identify the true from the false? You you prove all things and test the spirits?
Ezekiel 38: For Russia & Iran in Our Day? Is Ezekiel 38 about to be fulfilled? A related video is available titled Ezekiel 38: For Russia, Ukraine, & Iran Now? Another could be Russia, Iran, Syria, & the Bible (Code).
Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end? There is also a video sermon available: Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy as are two video sermonettes Russia, Ukraine, Babylonian Europe, and Prophecy and Ukraine in Prophecy?
PCG: Teachings Unique to the Philadelphia Church of God Simply calling oneself ‘Philadelphia’ does not make one so (see Revelation 3:7-9), nor does Gerald Flurry calling himself “that prophet” make it so. This article provides many quotes from this group which tries to look faithful.
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them. Here is a related article in the Spanish language ¿Por qué estar preocupado acerca de falsos y heréticos líderes?
Does the CCOG have the confirmed signs of Acts 2:17-18? Does any church have the confirmed dream and prophetic signs of Acts 2:17-18? Should one? Here is a link in the Spanish language: ¿Tiene la CCOG confirmadas las señales de Hechos 2: 17-18? Here is a link in the French language: Est-ce que l’Église Continue de Dieu confirme les signes d’Actes 2:17-18? A related sermon in the English language is also available: 17 Last Days’ Signs of the Holy Spirit.
Church of God Leaders on Prophets Have there been prophets throughout the church age? Are any supposed to be around in the last days? What have COG leaders stated or written about prophets? Here is a link to a related sermon: Church of God Leaders on Prophets.
How To Determine If Someone is a True Prophet of God There are many false prophets. How can Christians determine who is a true prophet? There is also a sermon-length video titled How to determine if someone is a true prophet of God. Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Cómo determinar si alguien es un verdadero profeta de Dios?
Herbert W. Armstrong, the Philadelphia Church, & the Mantle Herbert Armstrong claims God had him raise the Philadelphia up. Are there reasons to believe that the Philadelphia mantle in now within the CCOG? Here is a link to a related sermon: Herbert W. Armstrong and the Philadelphia Mantle.
6. The Philadelphia Church Era was predominant circa 1933 A.D. to 1986 A.D. The old Radio Church of God and old Worldwide Church of God, now the remnant of that era is basically the most faithful in the Church of God, like who hold to the beliefs and practices of the Continuing Church of God.
7. The Laodicean Church Era has been predominant circa 1986 A.D. to present. The Laodiceans are non-Philadelphians who mainly descended from the old WCG or its offshoots. They do not properly understand the work or biblical prophecies and will face the Great Tribulation if they do not repent. One video of related interest is 17 Laodicean Errors in Prophecy. See also Do You Hold to Any of These Laodicean Prophetic Errors?
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’.
Is Russia the King of the North? Some claim it is. But what does the Bible teach? Here is a link to a video, also titled Is Russia the King of the North?

Bloch sphere representation of a qubit used by quantum computers.
(Smite-Meister via Wikipedia)

COGwriter

Microsoft has a new computer chip:

February 26, 2025

The artificial intelligence (AI) arms race has yet to wrap up, but big tech is already starting a new one: the quantum computing arms race. Several big tech companies have seen the raw computing power required to create these cutting-edge AI models, and it’s clear that classical computing will work, but quantum computing is starting to become feasible for similar price points.

As a result, many top computing companies are announcing various breakthroughs in the quantum computing field, with Microsoft (MSFT -1.51%) being the latest to do so. It announced its Majorana 1 quantum chip on Feb. 19, and this announcement positions Microsoft well in the quantum computing race.

Microsoft’s breakthrough pushes it closer to winning the arms race

Quantum computing is far more powerful than traditional computing because of how it stores information. Classical computing stores information as 1s or 0s, but quantum computing stores information in a superposition between 1 and 0. This allows the technology to store much more information per qubit (the basic quantum computing information units) versus a bit (classical computing information unit). https://www.fool.com/investing/2025/02/26/microsoft-launches-its-majorana-1-quantum-computin/

The World Economic Forum (WEF) sent out the following:

25 February 2025

Why Microsoft’s Majorana 1 Chip is a Major Breakthrough?

Microsoft’s Majorana 1 chip, utilizing topoconductors and Majorana particles, promises more stable and scalable qubits, potentially accelerating practical quantum computing development from decades to years. This advancement could revolutionize fields like medicine, agriculture, and materials science by enabling complex computations beyond classical computers’ capabilities.

We are seeing more and more reports about faster computers as well as software developments (e.g. artificial intelligence).

As far as Europe and supercomputers go, notice the following:

February 13, 2025

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) (“D-Wave” or the “Company”), a leader in quantum computing systems, software, and services, and the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers, and the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) announced today that FZJ has purchased a D-Wave quantum computer, becoming the first high-performance computing (HPC) center in the world to own a D-Wave Advantage annealing quantum computing system.

With the purchase of the world’s largest quantum computer and Europe’s first quantum computer with more than 5,000 qubits and 15-way connectivity, the Jülich UNified Infrastructure for Quantum computing (JUNIQ), a public quantum computing user facility deployed by JSC, gains complete access to all aspects of the system– including the ability to modify system parameters and integrate the quantum system in new ways for new purposes. For example, this will allow it to be connected to the JUPITER exascale computer in the future, potentially enabling breakthroughs in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum optimization. JUPITER, which is currently being built close to JUNIQ at the FZJ, is expected to surpass the threshold of one quintillion calculations per second. This will be the world’s first coupling of an annealing quantum computer with an exascale supercomputer, providing a first-of-a-kind opportunity for tackling the world’s toughest computational problems.

JSC’s system will be upgraded to D-Wave’s next generation Advantage2™ quantum processor unit (QPU), once it becomes available. The Advantage2 system is expected to deliver significant performance gains with doubled coherence, increased connectivity and a 40 percent boost to the energy scale for advanced problem solving.

“The D-Wave Advantage system has played a pioneering role in the development of quantum optimization, both through its contribution to breakthrough research and the development of enterprise-grade solutions across numerous industries,” said Prof. Thomas Lippert, director of JSC. “D-Wave stands alone as the only quantum vendor solving real-world problems today, and we’re thrilled to be the first HPC center in Europe to own its groundbreaking annealing quantum computer.”

“With D-Wave’s innovative technology, the integration of the system into JUNIQ and its future coupling with the exascale supercomputer JUPITER, we will take the use of quantum technology in Jülich, and on behalf of Germany and Europe, to a new level,” said Prof. Kristel Michielsen, head of JUNIQ & Quantum Computing at JSC. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250213452729/en/Forschungszentrum-J%C3%BClich-Purchases-D-Wave%E2%84%A2-Quantum-Computer-Becoming-First-High-Performance-Computing-Center-in-the-World-to-Own-D-Waves-Advantage%E2%84%A2-System

The speed of process is so fast that it is mind-boggling.

Notice that some suspect that quantum chips may be a threat to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin:

QUANTUM ‘PUTERS, CRYPTOS, HACKERS, AND “SOUND MONEY”

February 24, 2025

Remember when crypto-currencies first came out? Why, they were the best thing since deep dish pizza. Not only would they usher in a new golden age of peace and freedom, and utterly avoid the nasty central banksters, they were entirely secure and “unhackable.”  And, if you get in now, you’ll be able to make lots and lots of real money trading your electronic blips, oh, and did we mention, that there were only a certain amount of blips available, and they were on a distributed ledger which could not be hacked? …

There was no mention of the fact that no cyber systems are secure, have integrity, and could be hacked. …

Well, now there are two stories out there that should give everyone pause, one concerning quantum computing, and the other, a hack (stories courtesy of M.D. and E.E., with our thanks):

A Quantum Computer Could Crack Bitcoin in Half, Research Finds

Bitcoin, Ether Tumble As Bybit Exchange Confirms Massive $1.4 Billion Hack

Now notice what these two articles, when taken together, are really saying: the first is saying, essentially, that there is a technological hardware-way around crypto’s alleged and ballyhooed “unhackability”, demonstrating that the old maxim is true: “No matter how big and impregnable your fortress is, the Germans will invent a big cannon to blast their way into it.” By the same token, the second article is saying that there is a technique and software-way around that “unhackability”: …

The 105-qubit chip — that’s double the qubit count of the tech giant’s preceding Sycamore chip — completed a computation in under five minutes that would take a modern supercomputer a “mind-boggling” 10 septillion years, the company said.

The news reignited a debate surrounding the security of blockchains, the distributed ledgers that run digital currencies like Bitcoin. Could a future quantum computer break the cryptocurrency’s encryption, allowing thieves to abscond with unfathomable sums?

As Fortune reports, researchers at the University of Kent found in a yet-to-be-peer-reviewed study that the risk is very real. In fact, just the downtime required to update the blockchain to protect itself from an encryption-breaking quantum computer could extend to 76 days — and the resulting losses would likely be staggering.  (Boldface italics emphasis added)

So, wait a minute: you mean, we’re going to have to take down any system of digital “currency” each time there’s a technology update, in order to update the unhackable system so that it’s secure and can’t be hacked?  And that might take 76 days!?!?!?  https://gizadeathstar.com/2025/02/quantum-computers-crypto-currencies-hackers-and-sound-mouney/

Microsoft boasts of having developed ‘entirely new state of matter’; will kick-start quantum computing

February 23, 2025

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that his company has developed an “entirely new state of matter” that will fundamentally change the computing industry.

Nadella made the claim … on X, saying that the discovery would power a new Microsoft product making a meaningful quantum computer available “not in decades, as some have predicted, but in years.”

Nadella added, “Imagine a chip that can fit in the palm of your hand yet is capable of solving problems that even all the computers on Earth today combined could not!”

According to The Washington Times, “Quantum computers are expected to solve problems exponentially faster than classical computers through the forthcoming machines’ usage of the properties of entanglement, interference, and superposition to complete calculations.”

Nadella stated:

“Most of us grew up learning there are three main types of matter that matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Today, that changed. After a nearly 20-year pursuit, we’ve created an entirely new state of matter, unlocked by a new class of materials, topoconductors, that enable a fundamental leap in computing.” …

This is the technology that will enable the global beast system and take it to new heights of tyranny and global control over human behavior.

The emergence of quantum computers will allow governments and corporate elites to break the encryption-securing systems used by people in every sector. At this point, all privacy will be gone. The government will know everything about everybody. Data is power. Don’t think it won’t be used for evil. https://leohohmann.substack.com/p/microsoft-boasts-of-having-developed

Small Step Or Giant Leap? Assessing Google’s Quantum Threat To BTC

December 19, 2024

Any major developments regarding quantum computing tend to cause a collective intake of breath among the crypto community. Google’s latest announcement launching its quantum processor, dubbed Willow, is no different. Not only does Willow feature double the number of qubits (or quantum bits, the quantum equivalent of processing capacity in traditional computers), but Google has also managed to reduce the instability usually caused by adding more qubits.

Therefore, Willow offers increased computational capacity relative to the number of additional qubits compared to other quantum machines. To put this into context, Willow takes around five minutes to execute a task that would take a standard supercomputer a trillion trillion years to process.

This significant leap forward in processing power leads to questions about Bitcoin’s legendary security, unbroken for 15 years since the genesis block. Bitcoin relies on cryptography, including the SHA-256 algorithm, which is secure enough to withstand any brute-force attack by traditional computers. But, if we put the same task in front of increasingly powerful quantum machines, a successful attack will begin to approach the point of feasibility. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nimrodlehavi/2024/12/19/small-step-or-giant-leap-assessing-googles-quantum-threat-to-btc/

I have long warned that Bitcoin had risks, and this is clearly one.

The Bible shows that a European power will arise that will control buying and selling:

COGwriter

Notice the following from Ecumenical News and the World Council of Churches News related to the Evangelical Church of Germany:

German church publishes 10 commandments for the digital age

The guidance put out by the EKD as the main Protestant denomination in Germany is known is based on the insights of the Ten Commandments in the Bible, one of the world’s best known set of guiding principles.

The publication – Digital Freedom: The Ten Commandments in Times of Digital Change – is structured around 10 sections.

Each takes one of the Ten Commandments, exploring its insights for understanding the opportunities and dangers of digital technologies. …

The Ten Commandments in Times of Digital Change:

1. Protect and live out freedom as God’s creatures in the digital realm.

I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Ex. 20: 2-3)

2. Understand how the worlds of digital images shape identity and solidarity.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing . . . (Ex. 20: 4)

3. Be aware of the options for religious communication in the digital world.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain . . . (Ex. 20: 7)

4. Give (digital) life a wholesome rhythm.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Ex. 20:8)

5. Make inter-generational relations more equitable digitally.

Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (Ex. 20: 12)

6. Stop digitalized violence.

Thou shalt not kill. (Ex. 20: 13)

7. Give space for freedom and respect in intimate relationships in the digital sphere.

Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Ex. 20: 14)

8. Encourage just participation in the digital economy.

Thou shalt not steal. (Ex. 20: 15)

9. Promote truthfulness in the digital world.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. (Ex. 20: 16)

10. Beware of covetousness in digital space.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s. (Ex. 20: 17). 05/02/21 https://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/german-church-publishes-10-commandments-for-the-digital-age/60865.htm

German Protestant Church Publishes 10 Commandments for the Digital Age

by WCC News

As digital technologies permeate almost all areas of life, changing the way people live, work and relate to one another, a new publication by the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) offers guidance on dealing with the digital world based on the insights of the biblical Ten Commandments. …

The EKD brings together Germany’s main regional Protestant churches. It is one of the co-organizers of an international symposium on “Communication for Social Justice in the Digital Age” in September, being jointly hosted by the World Council of Churches and the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC). 04/22/21 https://um-insight.net/in-the-world/advocating-justice/german-protestant-church-publishes-10-commandments-for-the-d/

(Pixabay image)

COGwriter

Iran is objecting to the Trump Administration and has concerns about being attacked:

Iran says will not bow to US ‘maximum pressure’ strategy

25 February 2025

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday said there was no possibility of direct talks with the US on his country’s nuclear program, a day after Washington announced fresh sanctions on Iran’s oil industry.

The sanctions come as US President Donald Trump reinstates the “maximum pressure” policy toward Tehran that he upheld during his first term. …

“There will be no possibility of direct talks between us and the United States on the nuclear issue as long as the maximum pressure is applied in this way,” Araghchi said during a press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, who has been visiting Tehran.

“Regarding the nuclear negotiations, the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is very clear. We will not negotiate under pressure, threat or sanctions,” he said.

“On the nuclear issue, we will move forward with the cooperation and coordination of our friends in Russia and China,” he added. https://www.dw.com/en/iran-says-will-not-bow-to-us-maximum-pressure-strategy/a-71745081

Report: Iran deploying air defenses to brace for possible US-Israeli strike

25 February 2025

Iran has placed its nuclear facilities on high alert bracing for a potential attack by Israel and the United States, The Telegraph reported Tuesday.

According to a report in the British Telegraph, Tehran has deployed additional air defense system launches around key nuclear and missile sites.

“They [Iranian authorities] are just waiting for the attack and are anticipating it every night and everything has been on high alert – even in sites that no one knows about,” a source was quoted telling the news outlet, saying that concerns have heightened with rhetoric from new US President Donald Trump. https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-iran-deploying-air-defenses-to-brace-for-possible-us-israeli-strike/

Yes, Iran is concerned about Donald Trump and his proposed actions.

Regarding Iran, Donald Trump, and prophecy, the following is from my latest book available at Amazon Kindle: Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? as well as Amazon print Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?:

Iran and Prophecy

Prior to his first election, Donald Trump stated that he wants to eliminate or at least change the “nuclear deal” with Iran. [i]

And that he did.[ii]

However, the Biden-Harris Administration tried to revive it, though never fully did. However, the Biden-Harris Administration did release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets back to Iran[iii] as well as it, apparently intentionally, did not enforce sanctions which allowed Iran to nearly triple its oil revenues 3 years after Donald Trump left office.[iv]

In the June 27, 2024 debate with Joe Biden, Donald Trump then blamed the Biden-Harris Administration for assisting in Iran’s ability to provide more funding to proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah.[v] It is believed that Donald Trump will likely use some type of “maximum pressure” strategy again against Iran during his next Administration.[vi]

Because Bible prophecy indicates  that it  will  be  primarily Arabic nations that support the final King of the South (Daniel 11:40-43; Ezekiel 30:1-8), though with some support (probably temporary per Daniel 11:25-26) from Turkey (and possibly Pakistan), it is not biblically possible that Iran can truly be the leader of the Islamic world as it seems to want to be. Also, because it is basically due east of Jerusalem, Iran should not be considered to be a candidate to be the final ‘King of the South’ of biblical prophecy.

Despite its posturing and relative military strength, Iran will be somehow effectively neutralized (cf. Ezekiel 32:24). This could perhaps be from an attack involving Israel and/or internal civil unrest — this could also include electromagnetic (EMP) or similar weapons used against Iran (Jeremiah 49:34-39).

It is of prophetic interest to note that the small nation of Israel is prophesied to one day be attacked by some that seem to have a connection to Iran (Isaiah 22:1-14).

Iran may decide to strike out against Israel, and possibly Jerusalem (cf. Isaiah 22:7-8) if a Trump Administration and/or Israel takes actions it does not like.

Iran has weapons that can cause damage. Furthermore, the USA itself (as well as is the State of Israel) is vulnerable to EMP type attacks and items such as biological weapons, chemical weapons, terrorism, nuclear weapons, dirty bombs, etc. because of a conflict involving Iran, Syria, and/or others.

But should this occur, this would NOT be the final destruction of the USA. Prophetically, Iran would not end up faring well (cf. Ezekiel 32:24-25).

[i] Wilkinson T. Trump’s plans to scuttle or amend the Iran nuclear deal remain a work in progress. Los Angeles Times, November 14, 2016

[ii] ^{Trump DJ. President Donald J. Trump is Ending United States Participation in an Unacceptable Iran Deal. White House Fact Sheet, May 8, 2018}

[iii] ^{Knickmeyer E, et al. Americans released by Iran arrive home, tearfully embrace their loved ones and declare: ‘Freedom!’ Associated Press, September 19, 2023}

[iv] ^{Steil B. Biden is Giving Up Powerful U.S. Financial Sanctions on Iran | Opinion. Newsweek, August 13, 2021; Cohen A. Joe Biden’s Iran Oil Sanctions Failure. National Interest, November 2, 2024}

[v] ^{READ: Biden-Trump debate transcript. CNN, June 28, 2024}

[vi] ^{What is Trump’s ‘maximum pressure policy’ that could drive up costs for China’s Iranian oil imports? Times of India, November 6, 2024; Strobel WP, et al. Trump to Renew ‘Maximum Pressure’ Campaign Against Iran. Wall Stree Journal, November 8, 2024}

Iran may strike out at Israel before Israel attacks it, or may wait to strike after it is hit again by Israel.

What if Israel hits Iran hard?

Israel has already been accused of ‘war crimes’ related to its war against Hamas in Gaza (e.g. see ‘Bolivia severs diplomatic ties with Israel over Gaza war’ and ‘Open hatred of Jews surges globally, inflamed by Gaza war’).

Israel may conclude that if it has the go-ahead from Donald Trump, it can go all-out to attempt to destroy the Iranian regime.

With that in mind, consider the following Roman Catholic writings:

Abbot Herman of Lehnin (died 1300) Towards the end of the world “Israel will commit a terrible crime for which it will suffer death.” (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Prophets and Our Times. Nihil Obstat: L. Arvin. Imprimatur: Philip G. Scher, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno, November 15, 1941. Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 151)

Roman Catholic priest and writer R. Gerald Culleton (20th century): After the birth of Anti-Christ and shortly before the rise of the Great Monarch, the false doctrines were to multiply … In the last days before Anti-Christ, there are to appear many anti-christs… Towards the end of the world the Jews are to commit some atrocious crime for which they will be greatly persecuted … the Great Monarch … This Lion Monarch … together with the Great Pope or Angelic Pastor, shall appear after socialism … (Culleton, pp. 25,27,28,50)

Some have suggested that “after socialism” may mean after communism falls, like it mainly did in the late 20th century. True Church of God Christians with “Jewish practices,” who could be considered a type of “Anti-Christ” by Greco-Romans (see Do Certain Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus? ), are to be greatly persecuted around the time of the Great Catholic “Lion” Monarch (see Persecutions by Church and State).

The “atrocious crime” could refer to an attack (possibly nuclear) by Israel or some other Israeli action. Or perhaps a combination of factors.

That said, a while back, the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) put together the following Bible News Prophecy video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel related to Iran and Israel:

15:03

Iran and Israel Conflict

European Union foreign policy chief, Josep Borrel, has been brokering the nuclear negotiations involving Iran and said that he thinks the deal is “in danger.” Iran blames the United States, whereas the USA says they are not delaying it. Israeli sources stated that Israel will stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Joe Biden says the USA would use its own military power to prevent Iran from getting such a bomb if need be. In 2021, Iranian lawmakers have submitted a bill seeking the government by law to commit to Israel’s destruction by the year 2040. Does the 22nd chapter of Isaiah point to damage coming to Israel from Iran and possibly Syria? Might Iran be concerned enough about limited progress with the USA to launch some type of attack? Is Iran the prophesied ‘King of the South’? Is it reasonable to think that the prophesied peace deal of Daniel 9:27 will not happen until after a military conflict. like a regional war? Should Christians watch the Middle East? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie discuss these matters.

Here is a link to our video: Iran and Israel Conflict.

We are in a time of wars and rumors of wars as Jesus foretold (Matthew 24:4-8).

Iran is not pleased with Donald Trump and may choose to militarily respond very soon.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Iran in Prophecy Is Iran in Bible prophecy? If so, what does the Bible teach? What names, other than Persia, may be used to describe Iran? There is also a YouTube video titled Iran in Prophecy. Here are links to two related videos Iran In Prophecy and  Iran and Israel Conflict.
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.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?  Is Donald Trump going to save the USA or are there going to be many disastrous unintended consequences of his statements and policies? What will happen. The link takes you to a book available at Amazon.com.
Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies? Kindle 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 Unintended Consequences and Donald Trump’s Presidency: Is Donald Trump Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic, Greco-Roman Catholic, Buddhist, and other America-Related Prophecies?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.